


Of Loss & Longing

by ForeverInsomniac



Category: Runaways (Comics), Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst and Romance, Canon Divergence, Drama & Romance, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, and we didn’t really get to see her do that on the show, because nico has a lot of shit™ to process okay, but its a slooowburn, everything until 3x09 is canon (except what happens to gert), of course deanoru is still central to this story, then i’m taking elements from the comics to expand the story from there, there will be pining and jealousy and action and drama, this is pretty nico-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22083547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverInsomniac/pseuds/ForeverInsomniac
Summary: After the way that they left things, seeing her again shouldn’t feel like this — it shouldn’t feel like peace and calm and warmth.It shouldn’t feel like coming home.But it does.It still does.(And it probably always will.)or — an au where gert lives, but nico still leaves.
Relationships: Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 283





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

(3 years after Morgan’s defeat)

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Nico repeats the mantra in her head as she takes slow, deep breaths. 

She’s levitating a few inches off of the floor — free and unburdened and weightless. 

Nico tries to keep her mind empty, tries to retain some semblance of inner peace, but certain memories sneak past her defenses — _of being bound and in pain; of feeling helpless and alone; of crawling through the cold, hard ground bleeding and reaching for her Staff_ —

Nico shakes her head slightly, burying those memories deep down. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Three years. It has been three years since she’s experienced this kind of quiet. This kind of... stillness. Granted, her life was still messy three years ago, but it still wasn’t this fucked up. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Nico concentrates on her breathing. She concentrates on the present. She tries to savor the peace and quiet surrounding her. 

Until a buzzing sound breaks her concentration. 

Sighing, Nico slowly lowers herself back down on the ground. She takes another deep breath before she finally opens her eyes. 

Looking around, Nico spots her lit up phone on the coffee table. For a moment, she thinks about ignoring it, already knowing who the text is from. But then her phone buzzes again, indicating another text. 

With a soft grunt, Nico finally gets up and takes her phone. Glancing at the screen shows she was right — she has two messages from Cammi. 

**_Cammi_ **   
_Hey, we just landed._

**_Cammi_ **   
_We figured we’d just head straight to that coffeeshop you mentioned before. Timely-something right?_

Nico jolts at the name, her mind flashing back to a different time — a time when she used to spend most of her time at Timely with _her_ and their friends. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

**_Nico_ **   
_Why do we do this again?_

Nico doesn’t have to wait long for a response.

**_Cammi_ **   
_Because we’d go crazy otherwise._

Nico chuckles darkly at Cammi’s response. She can’t even say anything about it because, well, she’s not entirely wrong. 

**_Nico_ **   
_I’ll head there now. See you guys in a few._

It’s been three months since they escaped Arcade’s Murderworld, but Nico still has nightmares about her days there. 

They all do.

So every month since then, they try to meet up. Since they can’t talk to anyone else about what happened, they all try to process it together. Granted, they don’t really talk about it outright — not after that pact of silence that they made. Instead, they mostly just sit around and brood together — surprisingly, they all found that just being around people who went through the same things can be oddly comforting. 

The venue changes every month, and this time, it’s Nico’s turn to play host.

With a sigh, Nico takes a few minutes to get ready. 

When she’s done, she considers driving to Timely but she dismisses that thought andopts to walk there instead. She hopes the walk will help clear her suddenly dark thoughts. 

As Nico steps outside, she takes a moment to just bask in the sun — something she’s never really done before. But after everything that happened in the years since she left _them_ , Nico’s taught herself to appreciate the small things in life every once in awhile. 

Feeling a little better, Nico makes her way to Timely to meet her friends. 

* * *

Nico is hit with a strong sense of nostalgia as she steps inside Timely. She’s not exactly the sentimental type, but she can admit that she’s missed this place. 

Nico places her order and steps aside to wait for her coffee. While waiting, she looks around the place, happy that it’s not too crowded. 

However, her small moment of happiness bursts when she hears a familiar voice.

“Nico?” 

She’d know that voice anywhere. 

Nico closes her eyes briefly as she tries to compose herself. After a beat, she slowly turns around to meet the astonished gaze of her friend.

With a small smile, Nico gently greets her, “Hello, Molly.”

* * *

Molly doesn’t say anything for a good long while; instead, she just stares at Nico, her gaze a mixture of happiness and confusion. 

Nico tries not to squirm under Molly’s intense gaze, but it’s getting harder every second. 

Thankfully, her name gets called again; this time by the barista that prepared her order. Nico gives Molly a small smile before she turns around to take her coffee. 

Then, Nico turns around to face Molly again, and she’s relieved to see a more _normal_ expression on her friend’s face. 

_This_ expression — one that’s exuding pure joy — is something that Nico’s more familiar with. 

Before Nico can say anything else, Molly surges forward and engulfs her in a tight hug.

Nico stiffens at first, but she reminds herself that this is just _Molly —_ someone who she’s known since childhood. 

So Nico shifts her hold on her coffee, carefully adjusting her body to return Molly’s hug.

“It’s so good to see you, Nico.” Molly says as she pulls back from their hug. Excitement in her tone, Molly continues, “Should we sit down or something? Catch up? I’m actually waiting for Gert and Chase too so you can hang out with us like old times!” 

Nico jolts at that, wanting to refuse — she’s not really ready to face the gang yet. But Nico hesitates in the face of Molly’s excitement, so she doesn’t refuse her invitation outright. 

Instead, she says, “Well, as much as I’d like to see Gert and Chase, I’m actually waiting for some people too.” Nico feels a twinge of guilt as Molly’s smile falls, so she immediately offers, “But I can still sit with you if you want? We’re both waiting for other people anyway.”

Molly’s smile brightens again at that. Looking around, Molly points out an empty table on a quiet corner of the coffeeshop as she says, “How about you grab that table while I order?” 

Nico nods at that. Then, she slowly makes her way to the table that Molly pointed out. Sitting down, Nico sighs as she turns her gaze outside. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Nico watches the people outside, observing them as they go about their day. 

Unbidden, a thought enters Nico’s mind, _“Had I not left after Morgan, would I be able to get some semblance of a normal life back? If I stayed here, would I have been able to avoid everything that happened?”_

Before Nico can spiral any further, a hand settles on her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. Looking up, she sees that it’s just Molly again, smiling softly down at her.

Once Molly settles down opposite her, she looks at Nico closely, head tilting slightly as she says, “So... you’re back.” Molly’s face scrunches a little as she continues, “Wait, _are_ you back? Or are you just visiting or something?”

Nico smiles fondly at Molly as she says, “I’m back, Molls.”

Molly beams at that, excitement radiating off of her again. Bouncing lightly in her seat, Molly fires off one question after another, “So, how are you? And where were you by the way? Have you been traveling or something?”

Nico shifts uncomfortably at Molly’s questions, not really sure how to answer them. 

She can’t exactly say, _“Oh, I accidentally time traveled back to 1907 where I was kidnapped and tortured by my great grandmother because apparently I’m weak and a disgrace to the Minoru name and she believed that pain will make me stronger. And just when I thought I was getting my shit back together, I was kidnapped again a few months ago along with 14 other teenagers and was taken to a secret arena where we had to spend 30 days fighting to the death. Oh and I really did die by the way, but was revived by the Staff of One.”_

A soft hand on her own breaks Nico out of her thoughts. Molly must notice her shift in attitude, as she squeezes Nico’s hand gently saying, “Nico, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. And you don’t have to answer those questions if you don’t want to.” Molly pauses for a beat as she takes a deep breath, looking at Nico with concern in her eyes, “It’s just... You were gone for three years, Nico. And no one knew where you were. We were worried about you.”

Nico softens at that as she gently squeezes Molly’s hand back. 

Still not quite sure how to answer Molly, Nico quietly says, “I’m sorry I worried you guys. I just...” Nico pauses, turning her gaze outside again as she tries to gather her thoughts. Sighing, Nico continues, “I just needed time to figure out some stuff, you know?”

Nico feels Molly gently squeezing her hand again, so she looks back at her. Molly just gives her a small, understanding smile before changing the topic as she proceeds to tell Nico all about her life. 

Nico notices that she doesn’t really talk about the others; just giving minor details here and there like how Gert, Chase, and Karolina are in college, while Alex launched his own business with his father. Other than that, Molly mostly talks about herself and her classes and dance, and for that, Nico is grateful. 

* * *

During a lull in their conversation, Nico checks her wristwatch and sees that it has been over an hour since she and Molly started talking.

Frowning slightly, Nico asks, “Molly? I thought you were supposed to meet Gert and Chase?” 

Molly checks her own watch, eyes widening slightly when she notices the time. With some alarm in her voice, Molly exclaims, “They were supposed to be here over an hour ago!”

Wanting to calm Molly down, Nico tries to joke, “Maybe they got _distracted_?” Nico smirks at Molly, wanting to see if she’ll catch her meaning. 

Molly looks a little confused at first, but then understanding passes her features. 

“Ugh, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Molly says, a hint of disgust and fondness in her voice, “I mean, I’m happy for them and all, but I’m tired of being the fifth wheel you know?”

“Fifth wheel? So, Alex is finally dating someone now too?”

“No, actually it’s Karolina —” Molly abruptly stops there, looking at Nico with something akin to pity in her eyes. 

Nico wills herself to appear nonchalant, as if hearing _her_ name doesn’t affect her at all. But no matter how much she tries to ignore it, Nico still gets a sinking feeling in her stomach as she thinks, _“So, she’s dating someone else now.”_

Wanting to erase that _look_ in Molly’s eyes, Nico just calmly says, “Oh, that’s good for them.” Then, to lighten the mood, Nico adopts a teasing tone again, “Why don’t you start dating too then? Don’t tell me no one’s caught your eye yet?”

Molly blushes prettily at that, and Nico assumes she’s thinking about someone. 

Totally flustered, Molly stutters out a reply, “I just — it’s not that —” Molly takes a deep breath before continuing, “Look, I just want to concentrate on school right now, you know?”

Nico smiles genuinely at that and decides to stop teasing her, “Dont worry, I get it Molly.” 

Smiling gratefully at her, Molly is the one who changes the topic this time by asking, “Speaking of, weren’t you supposed to meet some people here too?”

“I am. I guess they’re just running a bit late.” Nico casually waves a hand in the air as she continues, “Don’t worry about it though. We can just keep talking as we wait for them.” 

* * *

It’s not until another half hour later before Nico sees a familiar shade of purple. 

“Looks like Gert and Chase are finally here.” Nico informs Molly, and tilting her head slightly to the side, she also notices, “Seems like Alex is here too.” 

Molly turns around in her seat, and upon spotting her sister and friends, waves a hand frantically to catch their attention. 

As the three of them approach their table, Nico finds herself sitting up straighter. She fixes a small, friendly smile on her face, getting ready to greet her old friends. 

However, once Gert, Chase, and Alex are by their table, they end up staring at Nico like they’ve seen a ghost — their expressions a mixture of happiness, worry, and shock. 

Thankfully, Molly breaks the weird tension by standing up to give her sister a hug, “Hey, Gert! What took you guys so long?” Molly pulls out of the hug as she looks curiously at Alex, “And what’s Alex doing here too?”

Gert glances briefly down at Nico, but then shifts her gaze back up to Molly, “Actually, Karolina’s on her way here too. There’s something we need to talk about.” Gert pulls her phone out from her pocket, waving it slightly at Molly, “Haven’t you checked your phone?” 

Molly frowns at that and shakes her head, “No, I’ve been busy catching up with Nico.” Molly smiles down at her, and the rest of the group seemingly remembers her presence again. 

“Nico...” Alex says softly, hesitantly and there’s something in his tone; something that Nico doesn’t quite understand. 

But before Alex can continue, he is cut off and Nico hears a familiar voice frantically saying, “There you guys are!” 

That familiar voice is getting closer and Nico can feel herself panicking slightly as the voice continues, “Have you all watched the videos? Do you think it was real? And what are you guys doing just standing around —” 

The voice stops abruptly and Nico swallows harshly as familiar blue eyes meet her own. 

Three years. It has been three years since she’s heard that voice. It has been three years since she’s seen _her_. 

Karolina. 

Karolina who is staring at her, surprise coloring her features. 

And Nico tries to _not_ stare back, she really does, but she’s captivated and in awe and she feels like all the air is being sucked out the room. 

Her heart is pounding, her ears are ringing and really, it’s such a visceral reaction that Nico finds herself floundering. And Nico misses her, has never stopped thinking about her, but she never expected how seeing her again would feel like a punch in the gut. 

Nico’s not sure how much time has passed, and she tries to look away, but she just _can’t_ and all she can really do is continue to look up at her —

Until someone clears their throat and breaks the spell between them. 

Nico finally tears her gaze away from Karolina, looking around their friends who are staring at them both. 

Steeling herself, Nico clears her throat as she finally speaks, “Hey, guys.” 

With their attention back on Nico now, she gestures to the other seats around the table as she offers, “Why don’t you all sit down so we can catch up?”

* * *

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Nico takes small, calming breaths as she watches her friends settle down. 

When they are all seated, Nico sheepishly looks at her friends, not quite sure how to break the awkward tension that has fallen over them. 

Finally, Gert breaks the silence by asking, “So, what are you doing here Nico?” Gert waves around the shop, as she continues, “Did you text Molly to meet you here or something?”

Gert sounds suspicious and Nico winces internally at her tone. However, she retains her composure and calmly answers, “No, we just bumped into each other actually.” 

Gert continues to stare pointedly at her as she asks another question, “So, you’re back? And if you are, how long have you been back exactly?”

Nico nods slightly in response to Gert’s first question and with some hesitation, she verbalizes her reply to the second, “Around a week or so.”

She hears someone scoff and Nico turns to Gert’s right where she sees Karolina sitting up straighter as she continues to stare at Nico. 

Karolina meets her gaze unflinchingly as she says, “Would have been nice if you’d let one of us know.”

Nico sighs at that, not really knowing what to say except, “I’m sorry.” 

And Nico’s tone is heavy and sincere and it sounds like she’s apologizing for more than just not letting them know she’s back. (And maybe she is, because there _are_ a lot of things she has to apologize for.)

She sees Karolina soften slightly at that, so she continues, “I was going to text you guys, I just...” Nico trails off and shrugs. 

An awkward silence falls over the group, but a few moments later, Molly claps her hands to snap them out of their funk. 

Turning to Gert, Molly asks with excitement in her tone, “So Gert, you were asking if I’ve checked my phone? And Karolina mentioned something about some videos? What did I miss?” 

At Molly’s questions, a different kind of tension falls over their group again, with Gert, Chase, Alex, and Karolina snapping to attention seemingly remembering what they wanted to talk about in the first place.

Gert stares at Nico intensely again, but this time, her tone is gentle as she asks, “Nico, have you checked your phone in the last hour or so?”

Nico shakes her head as she says, “No. As Molly says, we were busy catching up.” Nico glances around her friends, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as they all stare at her weirdly. 

Not able to take the tension anymore, Nico finally asks, “What’s going on?”

Before anyone in the group can answer, Nico notices a commotion and sees someone in a hood rushing to their table. Before anyone can react, the hooded figure grasps Nico’s arm, whispering frantically, “Nico, we have to go!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nico notices Molly’s eyes changing colors and Chase looking like he’s ready to throw some punches. 

Nico is a little surprised (and pleased, if she’s being honest), to see her friends — _or ex-friends?_ — looking like they’re ready to defend her from whoever this person was. 

_“Or maybe they’re just getting ready to defend themselves and the rest of their group_ — _which you’re not a part of anymore.”_ A traitorous voice whispers at the back of Nico’s mind and she deflates slightly at that.

Nico quickly shakes that thought away, not really wanting to dwell on it on top of whatever’s going on. 

Bringing herself back to the situation at hand, Nico glances at her friends as she softly says, “It’s okay.” And it _is_ okay because she recognizes that voice; the hold on her arm familiar. 

At that, her friends drop their defensive postures, although they’re still looking at this stranger with suspicionin their eyes. 

Turning back to the hooded figure — who’s face she can now see up close — Nico asks in what seems like the hundredth time in just the last few minutes, “Cammi, what’s going on?” Nico cranes her neck to look behind Cammi, asking, “And where are the others?”

“Have you not been checking your phone?” Cammi asks incredulously.

Nico has not been getting a straight answer from any of her friends. And what’s with all this commotion about checking her phone? 

With more questions than answers, Nico finally snaps as she takes a hard look at everyone around her, firmly saying, “Okay, somebody tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Cammi’s hand, which has been gripping Nico’s forearm, tightens even further as she answers in a strained voice, “That bastard did it Nico.” Cammi spits out, her face contorting in anger as she continues, “He released 2 videos just over an hour ago and it’s already blowing up.” 

Nico pales upon hearing that — she doesn’t even have to ask what Cammi means or who she’s talking about. 

Jaw clenching, Nico replies in an equally strained voice, “That’s impossible. Rebecca destroyed his base of operations. Those videos shouldn’t exist.”

And Nico feels helpless because those videos shouldn’t exist. They _can’t_. It’s supposed to be over. It’s supposed to be done and dead and buried —

 _“Just like you buried those people on that arena,”_ the traitorous voice in her head whispers again, and Nico closes her eyes at the sudden flash of images that cross her mind — _of seeing Mettle explode; of seeing a headless Brian and helping the others bury him; of attacking Katy and Rebecca and burying them under tons of dirt_ —

Before Nico can spiral even further, she hears someone calling out her name. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out._

Nico takes slow, measured breaths. Then, shaking her head slightly, she opens her eyes again. 

Finally, she looks around and sees everyone staring intently at her. 

Still feeling a little lost and confused, she looks at everyone around her until her eyes settle on Alex who looks like he’s got something to show her. 

Alex holds her gaze steadily before he looks down, fiddling with something on his tablet. Seemingly finding what he was searching for, he clicks something on the screen before looking up and looking at Nico again.

He seems hesitant and scared and he’s holding on to his tablet so tightly. 

Wanting to get this over with — _whatever it is_ — Nico gives Alex a slight nod, signaling him to show her whatever he was looking for. 

Alex takes a look around their other friends first, and Nico notices that they all give him slight nods as well, before he finally hands his tablet over to Nico. 

Looking down, Nico can feel her heart pounding even harder as she sees a paused YouTube video entitled, _“What Really Happened in Murderworld? 1/30”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everything that happened on the show up until 3x09 is canon, except in this fic, gert doesn’t die. so, the whole time travel thing to save her and the plotline about future alex trying to kill them doesn’t happen. 
> 
> that said, nico still goes MIA for 3 years as mentioned on the show. what happened in those three years, why she left, how she’s processing everything that’s happened to her, and of course, her relationship with karolina are the main themes of this fic.
> 
> ps. still can’t believe the show got cancelled just when it was getting really good. this is my way of coping with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Karolina is at her apartment preparing for her next class when she gets a call from Gert. 

“Hey, Gert,” Karolina greets, cradling her phone between her shoulder and ear as she continues to stuff her books in her bag. 

“Karolina.” Gert starts, sounding breathless and frantic. Karolina pauses what she’s doing, Gert’s tone catching her attention. Gert may have just said her name but there’s something in the way she said it.

She sounds _scared_ and that, in turn, worries Karolina. 

“Gert? Is something wrong?” Karolina prompts when Gert doesn’t say anything else. Karolina can hear her breathing somewhat rapidly, can feel her anxiety even through the phone. 

A sense of dread curls in her stomach, and Karolina drops her books completely as she turns around and leans on the kitchen island for support. There are only a few reasons why Gert would be this anxious and scared.

“Did something happen to— Is something wrong with—” Karolina hesitates, not really sure she wants to voice out her concerns. Worry coating her tone, she forces out in a strained whisper, “Did something happen to Molly? Or Chase?”

“No, no!” Gert exclaims, rushing to reassure her. “They’re fine. Chase is here with me and we’re actually meeting Molly later.” Karolina hears Gert take a deep breath before she continues, “It’s just... there’s something you need to see.” 

Relief courses through her upon hearing that Molly and Chase are okay. But then, Gert’s words register and her relief is replaced by confusion as she asks, “What do you mean?”

“I just sent you a link. You should watch it now and come meet us at Timely after.” 

Karolina’s confusion only grows and she pushes Gert for answers, “Gert, what are you talking about?”

“Just watch it Karolina,” Gert insists in a gentle, yet firm tone, “Chase and I just are just about to watch the second video in the link but we’re still... processing what we’ve seen so far. Then we’re heading to Timely later to meet with Molly and Alex to talk about this, okay?”

Still not understanding, but with her curiousity now burning, Karolina finally acquiesces saying, “Okay, Gert. I’ll watch whatever it is and meet you guys at Timely.”

* * *

Karolina’s not really sure what to expect, but after seeing the video title, _“What Really Happened in Murderworld? 1/30”_ she feels a sense of dread deep in her stomach.

Still confused and now a little scared after seeing that title, Karolina pushes through her nerves and presses _play_. 

The video starts with a faraway shot of people in a circle, seemingly floating in the air. All around them, smoke fills the air — and is that _lava_ on the ground?!

Its quiet at first, but then a deep male voice speaks out, “Wake up. Don’t bother trying to move or talk. You’ve been sleeping while I got you all cleaned and prepped.” 

The camera zooms in on a girl wearing some type of hazmat suit and helmet and Karolina can see the terrified and confused look on her face. Then the focus shifts on to others— to a young girl with some type of robotics on her face, then to a young blonde man. 

Then the video pans out again, showing a wide shot of all the people floating in the air. Suddenly, a man descends on the center of the group, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“— Who is this badass boogeyman with the volcano elevator?” And Karolina guesses she must have missed some of his villain monologue. 

Not wanting to miss anymore details, Karolina focuses her attention on the man, listening intently as he continues, “I’ve got a crisp hundred dollar bill for anybody who guessed,” the man with auburn hair and pristine white suit pauses dramatically before revealing his identity, “Arcade.”

Finally, he lands on the ground and continues his speech as he looks up giddily to the people floating around him, “So here’s the deal. I like to watch people die. I’m a little sick in the head. What’re you gonna do?” 

He laughs, and Karolina feels a chill run up her spine as she sees how much he is enjoying this. 

“There are 15 of you right now. You’re completely cut off. Nobody is coming to get you. Trust me, they wouldn’t know where to look.” He spreads his arms wide as he continues, “You want food? You want water? Medicine? It’s all here but you have to _fight_ for it. One way or another, in 30 days, only one of you will be the winner. Only one of you will walk out of here alive.” 

Karolina watches as he snaps his fingers and everyone finally falls to the ground. She watches as they get up, all of their attention focused on Arcade. 

Again, the camera zooms in on some of them — she sees someone wearing some type of full armor that hides their face completely, a young woman wearing what looks to be a spacesuit, to another young bulky man wielding some type of axe. 

They all look different and some of them don’t even look... _human_. But despite their differences, Karolina can see that they’re sharing one common expression: anger. 

Before she can process anything else, the screen explodes with action. Karolina watches as a few people attack Arcade head on but — to Karolina’s horror — she sees that all of their attacks are not affecting him in the slightest. 

He calmly deflects all attacks directed at him as he says, “Take a look at the clever kids. Hanging back. They get it.” At his words, the camera zooms in to a few people hanging back and just watching everything that’s happening, “There’s a reason I don’t wear a mask with my pretty white suit. I’m not the villain here. I’m the _god_!” 

And Karolina can hear his words, but she’s not really processing them because no. No. _There is no way._

With her heart pounding and cold fear coursing through her veins, Karolina rewinds the video and pauses it just as it focuses on one particular person. 

_No._

No, this is not possible.

With a trembling hand, Karolina traces the paused image on her phone as she shakily breathes out, “What are you doing there Nico?”

* * *

As much as Karolina dreads what she’s about to see next, she plays the video again and watches as Arcade easily overpowers the group. With an ever-growing horror, Karolina watches as Arcade floats above the group as he continues to explain his _game_. 

“Some of you are probably wondering, _‘why me’._ Why you? I don’t know!” He laughs before continuing, “Bad luck? Fate? It doesn’t really matter why. What matters here is how you play the game.” 

Someone from the crowd angrily shouts, “Quit talking about your game! We’re not playing some —” 

Arcade cuts him off saying, “Life’s a game kid! You’re either playing it or you’re losing it.” 

Another person speaks up, this time, its the bulky man with the axe, “I don’t get what you think will happen next. You proved you’re a big, strong man by knocking us around and calling yourself god. Doesn’t mean anyone’s gonna haul off and start murdering just cause you say.”

And Karolina finds herself nodding as she listens to the man’s words. But then she watches as Arcade simply smirks down at them, “You sure about that?”

Sowing fear and confusion and hostility among the group he says, “Look around you. How many of these people do you actually know? How many would you trust with your life?” 

Clapping abruptly, Arcade continues as he peers down at the group, “You know what? I’m bored with this. Enough talk — let’s get started.” He grins maniacally and all Karolina can do is watch helplessly, “There are 15 players. One of you is the weakest. I’ll make it easy on you. I’ll do the first killing. Go ahead and pick the weakest link.” 

His words horrify Karolina, and yet all she can think is, _“Please. Not her.”_

As if summoned by her thoughts, Karolina can see her again on the screen. She’s standing slightly away from everyone else, face impassive as she grips her Staff tightly. And it’s been so long since Karolina’s seen her —

_Wait._

Karolina pauses the video again with _her_ visible on the edge of the screen.

 _“This video was uploaded today,”_ Karolina thinks to herself, _“But how long ago was this taken? Or is this still happening now?”_ At the last thought, Karolina sits up straighter. 

But then another thought enters her mind, _“He said only one gets to walk out of the arena. So, if the 30 days he set is already done, does that mean she’s —_ ” 

And Karolina stops that train of thought immediately. 

Screwing her eyes shut, Karolina reminds herself, _“She’s a fighter. She’s strong.”_ And with desperation gripping her, _“She’s alive. She has to be alive.”_

Karolina lets out a deep breath as she opens her eyes and plays the video again. At this point, she just wants to finish the entire thing so she can go to Timely and talk to her friends.

* * *

Karolina watches on in horror as Arcade starts counting down, waiting for the group to point out the weakest link. 

But before he finishes counting down, a girl named Hazmat attacks him; however, Arcade calmly deflects her attack and starts torturing her instead.

Hazmat starts screaming in pain until finally, a man named Mettle steps up to Arcade, claiming he’s the weakest link. Only then does Arcade stop torturing Hazmat, and he turns to Mettle, calmly pointing at him as he says, “Whatever you say, kid.” And just like that, Mettle explodes. 

Then, with an eerily calm smile on his face, and his once-pristine white suit now smattered with blood, Arcade proudly proclaims, “Welcome to Murderworld.” 

* * *

In the ensuing chaos that follows Mettle’s death, Karolina watches as Nico continues to stand off to the side, carefully observing the rest. 

But then, once everyone starts attacking each other, she suddenly disappears off-screen and all Karolina can think of is she needs to run, run, run. 

She’s a _runaway_. 

They’ve been running and hiding from their parents and corrupt cops and evil witches for the better part of three years and surely, she can apply the skills she’s gained to survive on that arena. 

* * *

Karolina finishes the rest of the video, as well as the second one — she watches as another person dies while trying to fly up and escape; she watches as people start attacking each other; and she watches how others have formed alliances, plotting how they can kill everyone else — in muted horror. 

After the second video ends, Karolina stares blankly at the screen for a few minutes. 

_“Was any of that real?”_ Karolina thinks to herself. _“Maybe this is just a new teen superhero show? Maybe Nico decided to be an actress and —_ ” And Karolina’s thoughts end there because no. 

Nico would never. 

A long-buried memory resurfaces and Karolina closes her eyes as she remembers. 

_It’s her 9th birthday party and she’s supposed to smile and interact and show her guests how happy she is and how much she’s enjoying this lavish party._

_But instead of doing all of that, Karolina is sulking out in the balcony, looking up at the stars._

_She’s alone, until she isn’t it._

_She feels someone approaching her, and Karolina tilts her head slightly to the side, a smile already on her lips. She’d recognized those footsteps anywhere._

_“What are you doing out here?” Nico asks her as she sits down on the floor next to Karolina._

_Karolina came here to be alone, but she’d never complain about having her best friend next to her, so she simply tells Nico, “Just wanted some air.”_

_Nico looks at her closely, concern and understanding in her eyes. Nico doesn’t say anything for awhile until she gently asks, “Is this about your dad?”_

_And Karolina doesn’t know whether she should laugh or cry because Nico just knows her so well, understands what she’s really doing out here, even without her saying anything._

_Karolina closes her eyes as she admits, “I’m sad because he isn’t here.” A tear rolls down her cheek as she whines, “Mommy says his shooting schedule is tight and that’s why he couldn’t make it today. But it’s my birthday! I want my daddy here!”_

_Karolina startles as a hand holds onto her own, while another touches her cheek, brushing her tears away. She opens her eyes to see Nico looking at her seriously as she says, “I will never be an actress.”_

_Completely startled by that random remark, Karolina says without much thought, “But you’re so pretty though! And you’d be a good actress, I think.”_

_Karolina notices as Nico’s cheeks turn a little pink and she giggles at the sight. Her best friend almost never blushes — except with her._

_“Thank you. You’re pretty too.” Nico says shyly. But then, she looks serious again as she continues, “But I would never. Not if it means I have to spend so much time away from you.”_

_Karolina is shocked into silence as a warm, fluttery feeling overwhelms her._

_Karolina continues to look at Nico; at how she’s looking at Karolina intently, sincerity etched on her features. And Karolina realizes she’s never had this — not from her parents or other friends — this quiet understanding and kindness and warmth and_ **oh** _._

_This is different, isn’t it?_

_It’s something special._

* * *

Karolina opens her eyes with a gasp. 

She feels unsteady and lost and Karolina braces her hands on her kitchen counter, her head bowed down as she tries to breathe. 

And when she regains some semblance of control, she finally calls Gert back.

Gert answers on the second ring, and with no greeting whatsoever, she says in a tight voice, “You’ve watched them?”

“Yes,” Karolina answers succinctly, “I’ll head over to Timely now. I’ll see you guys there.” 

* * *

Karolina freezes as her gaze falls upon familiar brown eyes. 

To say that she’s surprised is an understatement. But more than surprise, an overwhelming sense of relief washes over her because Nico is here. 

She is _here_ and she is _alive_. 

Karolina knows she’s staring and she tries to tear gaze away from Nico, she truly does, but she’s happy and relieved and just so, _so_ grateful to see her. 

Having her _here_ means she’s survived whatever happened on that arena. 

But above all else — above the surprise and relief — other feelings stir in Karolina too. 

And she tries to push them down because after everything that they went through, after the way that they left things, seeing Nico again shouldn’t feel like _this_ — it shouldn’t feel like peace and calm and warmth. 

It shouldn’t feel like coming home. 

* * *

Karolina tries to act nonchalant as Gert questions Nico, but when she hears that Nico’s been back for over a week, she can’t help saying, “Would have been nice if you’d let one of us know.”

And Nico... apologizes. 

And she really shouldn’t be surprised about the apology because she knows that Nico has always been softer and kinder with her. But this... this feels _different_. 

It sounds like she’s apologizing for so much more than just not letting them know she’s back. 

And Karolina deflates at that because Nico may look a little different now (she may still be clad in an all-black ensemble but it’s less severe somehow), but that look in her eyes — that darkness and loss and longing — remains the same. 

* * *

Karolina almost forgets the reason why they’re all here; that is until she hears Molly asking about the videos. 

They all snap to attention at that, their gazes falling on Nico. 

Karolina notices Nico shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she asks them what’s going on. 

But before any of them can answer her — not that Karolina even knows _how_ to answer her — a mysterious, hooded person suddenly approaches their table and grabs onto Nico frantically saying that they needed to go. 

Karolina tenses and she’s getting ready to fight because _no_. No one’s taking Nico. Not again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the others getting ready to fight too. 

But then Nico looks at them and softly says it’s okay. 

They all settle down somewhat after hearing her say that.

* * *

Karolina continues to look at this stranger with suspicion coursing through her. _“Cammi,”_ Karolina thinks to herself, _“Nico called her Cammi.”_

She can’t really see her features clearly due to the hood, but something about her is familar somehow.

But Nico clearly knows her — and Karolina sits straighter still as she notices that Nico hasn’t removed Cammi’s hold on her arm because Nico doesn’t just let anyone touch her. 

Before she can dwell even further on that, Cammi’s next words — so full of anger and contempt — draw her attention, “That bastard did it Nico. He released 2 videos just over an hour ago and it’s already blowing up.” 

Karolina’s gaze cut to Nico after hearing that, and she sees how pale Nico has become. Karolina can hear the strain in Nico’s voice as she says, “That’s impossible. Rebecca destroyed his base of operations. Those videos shouldn’t exist.”

Karolina’s chest tightens as she hears Nico sound so _helpless_. She watches as Nico closes her eyes, her beautiful features marred by a deep frown. Karolina feels something tug at her heart; the expression so familiar and she just knows that Nico is spiraling deep into her thoughts. So, Karolina softly calls out her name to draw her back to her (and just like always, Nico responds to her voice). 

She watches as Nico slowly opens her eyes and looks over at them, still looking a little lost. She must’ve been really deep in her thoughts if she hadn’t immediately recognized that it was Karolina who called out to her. 

Karolina keeps her face as impassive as possible, watching as Nico continues to look at them. After a moment, Nico sighs and her gaze finally lands on Alex. 

Some unspoken message must pass between them because the next thing they know, Alex is fiddling with something on his tablet and then he’s looking at Gert, then Chase, and finally Karolina with question in his eyes. They all understand what he’s trying to ask and they all give him slight nods. 

With everyone in agreement, Karolina watches as Alex hands his tablet over to Nico. 

Karolina keeps her eyes on Nico, watching her carefully as she takes in the paused YouTube video on the screen, showing the first of the two videos that was recently uploaded by Arcade. 

Nico goes completely still and Karolina is becoming increasingly worried. But then, Nico looks up with a gasp and — 

Karolina’s never seen her look so haunted.

She feels her heart clenching violently in her chest and in this moment, Karolina vows to do whatever it takes to help Nico through this. 

Because this is _Nico_. 

The person who has always brought her a sense of peace and calm and warmth. 

Because Nico still feels like home — even when she shouldn’t. Not anymore. Not after everything. 

But she does. 

She _still_ does. 

(And she probably always will.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: in the comics, there are actually 16 “contestants” in the arena, one of whom was chase stein
> 
> for the purposes of this story, i didn’t include chase, thus there are only 15 of them in my version of murderworld


	3. Chapter 3

Nico goes completely still as she grips Alex’ tablet tightly. 

She closes her eyes as she tries to take deep, steadying breaths. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in —_

Images flash through Nico’s mind — _of waking up floating in the air unable to move or speak; of hearing Arcade explain the rules of his twisted game with so much glee; of running and hiding and sleepless nights; of arguing whether Tim should live or die; memories of blood and burning flesh, and blood, blood, blood and pain, so much pain_ —

Gasping, Nico immediately opens her eyes at that. 

She feels like she’s drowning and she’s trying to swim back to the surface only to find that she’s stuck right back where she started; still drowning and alone and in the dark.

With her heart clenching violently in her chest, Nico looks up hoping to find some relief and _oh._

There she is. 

Familiar blues meet her own and Nico can finally breathe again.

Her ocean blue eyes are familiar and warm and comforting. 

It feels like home. 

* * *

“Nico,” a slightly irritated voice calls out to her, finally breaking her out of her reverie, “I hate to break up whatever this is, but we have to go.” 

Nico tears her gaze away from Karolina, shifting to look up at Cammi again. Quietly, she asks, “Is it really that bad?”

Cammi looks intently down at her before she sighs and lets go of her tight grip on Nico’s arm. Then, she retrieves a chair from the next table and takes a seat next to Nico. 

Once seated, Cammi rubs her eyes, and with exhaustion seeping into her tone, she quietly admits, “It’s bad, Nico.” Face twisting in both anger and pain she continues, “We haven’t seen the entire thing but we caught some of it on the news as we were heading here.” 

Nico notices Cammi’s slight hesitance, so she prompts, “What are you not telling me?”

Another deep sigh crosses Cammi’s lips as she reveals, “It’s Hazmat. They were showing a clip of Mettle as he stepped up to Arcade. I mean, they didn’t actually show him you know...” Cammi shrugs, trying to look unaffected but Nico can see right through her act. “And she just... froze. So I dropped her off at the address you gave us and came here to get you.”

Nico shivers slightly because the sight of Mettle exploding will forever be etched in her mind. And if _she’s_ this affected, Nico can’t imagine how Hazmat must be feeling.

Nico shakes her head slightly as she focuses on Cammi again. Somehow, Nico gets the feeling that there’s still more that Cammi isn’t telling her. “What else is it?”

Jaw clenched, Cammi grits out, “I saw some stuff online. Some people are already saying shit about us, Nico. And they’ve only seen the first two days. How do you think they’ll react when they see the rest of it?”

Nico meets Cammi’s gaze, a quiet understanding passing between them. After a beat, Nico quietly breathes out, “We were just kids trying to survive that fucking hellhole.”

Cammi laughs bitterly at that. “Some people will sympathize with us, some won’t.” Cammi’s gaze burn into hers and Nico feels a chill run down her spine at her next words, “And some people will just see us as murderers and monsters.” 

Nico hears an indignant, “Hey!” in response to Cammi’s words. 

Startled, Nico tears her gaze away from Cammi’s and looks around, finally remembering that there are other people around them. 

Nico’s gaze lands on Molly who is half off of her seat, glaring at Cammi as she hisses, “Nico isn’t a murderer or a monster!” Nico can see the rest of their friends nodding at that. 

Cammi looks just as startled as she stares back at Molly. After a beat, Cammi raises her hand slightly in surrender and apology. Molly’s glare softens a little at that and she finally settles down again.

“Molly...” Nico says gently as Molly turns to look at her, a frown still on her face, “thank you for saying that, but—” And Nico doesn’t even know how to finish that, so she just shrugs. 

Because Cammi _is_ right. 

People will take one look at their abilities — of Cullen turning into a ten-ton indestructible beast; of Hazmat’s nuclear detonation; of Reptil turning into different dinosaurs; of Nico’s witchcraft — plus all the fighting and the killing; and yeah, Nico understands how some people might think they were murderers and monsters. 

Because while superheroes and mutants and aliens are nothing new these days, people still fear the unknown. 

Nico can see that Molly is about to say something, so she just shakes her head slightly while giving her a sad smile. 

Molly is still frowning at her, as is the rest of the group. Sighing, Nico says in an apologetic tone, “Look, I’m sorry about all of this,” Nico gestures to herself and Cammi, “And I’m sorry I have to cut our... _reunion_ short, but I have to go and deal with this.”

“We’re coming with you.” 

Nico’s gaze shifts to Karolina, eyes widening in surprise. 

Karolina meets her gaze calmly as she continues, “There’s no leaving each other. Not anymore.” 

And Nico inhales sharply at that because she _remembers_. It feels like a lifetime ago but Nico remembers those words. 

Seemingly realizing what she just said, Karolina’s eyes widen slightly as well. Nico thinks she sees a hint of panic in her eyes, but then it fades away so quickly, she’s not sure if it was even really there in the first place. 

Clearing her throat, Karolina diverts her gaze to the rest of their group, saying, “We’re family. We’ve always stuck together in times of trouble. We’ve never left each other, not really.”

“Karolina’s right.” Chase says in agreement, “I mean, we may have had our differences, but at the end of the day, we were always there for each other.”

Guilt rips through Nico because — that’s not true. She wasn’t always there for them. _She left._ She left them for three years _._

As if reading her mind, Gert kindly tells her, “It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. You’re back now. We’re here for you, Nico.” 

And Nico doesn’t know how to feel about all this. She’s never been good with feelings; has in fact become even worse over the recent years. 

Feeling overwhelmed, Nico just smiles gratefully at them, not saying anything.

But then, she looks to the side and notices Cammi with her arms crossed over her chest, quietly listening to their conversation with a slight frown. 

Feeling Cammi’s skepticism, Nico turns back to the rest of her friends, “I appreciate all of that, I really do. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you guys to come with us right now.” Before anyone can argue, Nico pushes on, “I don’t say that to hurt you guys. It’s just that Hazmat doesn’t know any of you and I don’t want her to freak out.” Out of the corner of her eye, Nico can see Cammi nodding and she knows she made the right call. 

On the other hand, her friends deflate at her words, understanding passing their features. After all, there was a time when they didn’t want strangers poking into their business. 

After a few moments of silence, Gert finally speaks up again, “We understand.” 

Nico nods gratefully at her, before she looks back to Cammi. She tilts her chin slightly to the side; a silent sign for Cammi to get up so they can leave.

As they get up, Nico is surprised to see all her other friends getting up too. Glancing over to them, she says, “Oh, you guys don’t have to leave too. I’m sure you’d love to catch up with each other, right?”

Chase shrugs, directing a soft smile her way, “We’ll just... walk you guys outside.” 

Before Nico can argue, Gert beats her to it, “What Chase means is that, while we’re sure you’re gonna be okay, and that you can defend yourselves should the need arise seeing that you’re strong, independent women; we’d just like to keep you company for a little while longer. Okay?”

Nico looks around her and sees the determined expression on all her friend’s faces. So, she swallows her argument back down and instead she says, “Okay. Let me just get a Lyft for Cammi and I.”

* * *

As they’re waiting outside of Timely for her Lyft, a random guy suddenly approaches Nico saying, “Hey, you look so familiar. Have we met or something? Or wait, are you an actress?”

Before Nico can give him a scathing reply, Molly’s back is suddenly in her field of vision as she shields Nico from the guy’s inquisitive stare. 

In a sickeningly sweet voice, she hears Molly ask, “Hi! Can we help you with something?”

“Like I said, your friend just looks so familiar, I just—” 

He stops abruptly and Nico peers around Molly to see Chase with his hand on the other guy’s shoulder, seemingly giving it a friendly pat, “Hey man, what’s up? Did you need something from my friends?” 

Nico can see the guy wincing slightly. He rolls his shoulder to dislodge Chase’s arm, then he looks around, finally noticing that he’s surrounded. A slight tension hangs in the air until the guy puts his hands up and slowly backs away, “Sorry, my bad. Didn’t mean to bother you guys.” They all watch as he walks away. 

“Did you know him?” Gert asks, her brow furrowed in worry. 

“No.” Sighing, Nico realizes, “He must have seen the videos.” Turning to Cammi, she asks, “Did you get recognized too? Is that why you’ve got that hood on?”

“Yeah, our cab driver was looking at us weirdly as he drove us to your place.” Wincing slightly, Cammi throws an apologetic glance at Nico, “Some of your neighbors might have recognized us too.”

“Fuck.” Nico mutters, “That’s not good. My place might be swamped with reporters by now.” 

“Why not come to the Hostel then?” Alex offers, “We can meet you guys there.”

Nico’s eyes widen in surprise, “Its still there?”

Alex smiles at her, nodding in response. 

Nico thinks it over for a moment, before she tentatively agrees, “I mean, if reporters have really found my place... and of course, if it’s alright with all of you,” Nico glances around all her friends, “I’d like to take you up on that offer.”

“It’s your home too, Nico.” Karolina gently says, finally speaking up after her long silence, “Of course it’s alright. Your friends are all welcome too.”

* * *

After that, they all went their separate ways — with Nico and Cammi heading to her apartment, while the rest went ahead to the Hostel. 

Cammi remained quiet throughout the ride to her apartment. However, once they’re closeby and see several news vans parked outside, Cammi starts muttering expletives under her breath. 

“Fuck.” Cammi curses with utter frustration lacing her tone, “I can’t believe it’s already blown up like this. It’s only been 2 videos! Guess they must be extra curious after seeing 2 survivors when there’s only supposed to be one _‘winner’_ ,” Cammi says bitterly, making air quotes as she says the last word. “And if they’ve figured out it’s your apartment, that’s another survivor they can interview and exploit for ratings too. I’m just glad Aiden, Cullen, and Rebecca aren’t here as well. They must’ve seen something on social media or saw the news and decided to stay hidden.”

Arms crossed over her chest, Nico’s jaw clenches as she stews over Cammi’s words.

 _This_ is the reason why they made that pact of silence. They knew that if the story ever got out, they’d be hounded by the media and turned into a _story_.   
  
So, after they were quietly rescued by S.H.I.E.L.D and each gave their statements, they all kept their mouths shut — both to avoid further scrutiny and to protect themselves. Then, they scattered; only agreeing to see each other once a month to process their shit together.

Others went back to their normal lives — some went back to school, others back to work, while Nico traveled aimlessly for a bit before deciding to settle back down in her hometown.

It’s been three months since they left that arena and they’ve all found some semblance of peace — until Arcade fucked it up by releasing those videos. 

And the worst part is, Nico knows he’s just getting started. 

* * *

They get off a few ways away from her place, ducking into an alleyway to keep themselves hidden from the crowd of reporters. 

Turning to Cammi, Nico says, “Look, I know you don’t know my friends and that you’re not entirely comfortable with them, but with all of that,” Nico gestures behind her to all the reporters swarming outside her apartment, “I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

Cammi glares at Nico before sighing defeatedly. Caution in her tone, Cammi asks, “Do you trust them?” 

“With my life.” Nico responds, no hesitation whatsoever. 

Cammi visibly relaxes at that as she quietly agrees, “Okay.” 

Surprised by her friend’s easy acceptance, Nico raises a brow at her in question. 

Chuckling mirthlessly, Cammi directs a solemn gaze at her, “I trust _you_ , Nico. You’ve saved my life countless times on that arena. So I’m choosing to trust you on this too.” 

Feeling oddly touched, all Nico could do is nod silently at that. 

They share a quiet moment before they both turn back to look at her apartment.

“Now, how are we getting through all those people?” Cammi asks curiously. 

And even before she’s done asking, Nico has already summoned the Staff of One. (Whatever else happened on that arena, she’s just glad she no longer has to bleed to summon the Staff. And well, having a new, magical arm doesn’t hurt either.)

With her Staff on hand, Nico directs a smug look at Cammi. With her eyes glowing purple and a purple mist emanating from her left arm, Nico says, “To my apartment.” 

And just like that, Nico finds herself in her living room. 

Looking around, she finds Hazmat on her couch, staring blankly ahead. Nico approaches her slowly so as not to startle her. Once Nico’s in front of her, she leans down slightly to meet Hazmat’s blank gaze, gently saying, “Hey, it’s Nico. We’re moving to a different place okay?” 

Nico doesn’t get any response. 

She cautiously places a hand on Hazmat’s shoulder, but when Nico still doesn’t get any reaction, she just sighs in defeat. 

Holding on to Hazmat, Nico uses her Staff again, “Back to Cammi.”

Nico finds herself back in the alleyway near her apartment, this time with Hazmat and Cammi with her. 

Then, Nico silently extends her other arm out to Cammi, urging her to hang on to her.

And with one hand on Hazmat’s shoulder, and Cammi gripping on to her other arm, Nico transports them out of that alleyway, “Home.”

* * *

Nico appears in the Hostel’s living room, expecting to find all of her friends there; however, there is only one other person in the room with them. 

Karolina. 

Karolina who looks startled and has one arm up, looking like she’s ready to start blasting her light. 

After a beat, Karolina puts her arm down, seemingly recognizing that it’s just Nico. 

Once the purple mist around them clears, and once she feels that her eyes are no longer glowing, Nico directs a shy smile at Karolina as she breathes out a quiet, “Hi.”

Karolina is quiet for a moment as she just stares at her. 

Nico’s not sure how long they’ve been standing there just gazing at each other. But finally, Karolina breaks the moment between them as she gently responds, “Welcome home.”

And really, Nico’s been using the Staff of One for years now and she’s always admired its ability to meet her every demand. 

But this... _this_ is special. This is different. 

Because the Staff really managed to bring her home — in this exact place, this exact moment, and with this exact person. 

(And whether she thinks of her ‘home’ as the Hostel or this person in front of her, well, Nico’s not ready to dwell on that yet.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: the whole bleeding-to-summon-the-staff thing has always been canon in the comics, though the show didn’t introduce that concept until s3 (remember 3x05 when momma minoru cut nico?)
> 
> in this story, i’m assuming that nico has had to do the bloodletting ritual to summon her staff since then. that is until certain events in the arena (which will be revealed in a later chapter) messes with her powers so she no longer has to bleed. (note: this doesn’t actually happen in the comics. there’s a whole other thing about nico making a deal with her staff so she no longer has to bleed, but that’s an ongoing storyline that i didnt want to touch for now. the new magical arm is canon though - she can cast some spells without her staff now)


	4. Chapter 4

“So,” Alex starts as he looks around them, “That girl, Cammi, she was part of it too right?”

Karolina and the rest went ahead to the Hostel, processing everything they’ve seen and learned so far. 

Right now, they’ve settled in the Hostel’s living room, seated around mismatched couches. The Hostel went through quite a makeover after everything that happened with Morgan — it now has actual furniture, proper plumbing and electricity, Wi-Fi, and high-tech security — courtesy of their parents who wanted to make it as livable as possible, after they finally accepted the fact that none of their children were ever going back home.

And while they no longer lived at the Hostel, all of them having their own apartments closer to their respective schools and workplaces, they still stayed here every couple of days. 

“Um wait,” Molly says in a hesitant voice, “I still haven’t seen the videos you all talked about but... I’m assuming it’s bad?” At that question, she turns worriedly to Gert. 

Gert places a comforting hand around Molly’s shoulder, holding her close, “Yeah, it’s bad.”

“And Nico’s involved?” Molly’s brow is furrowed and Karolina can see how worried she is and how hard she’s trying to understand the situation. 

“Yes.” Gert confirms gently. Then, she turns to Alex as she responds to his earlier question, “And yes to your question too. I think she was the one who was wearing that spacesuit-like getup.”

“Oh.” Karolina breathes out softly because she _does_ remember seeing her on the video too. 

All eyes turn on her, and Karolina shifts in her seat uncomfortably as her friends’ gazes turn worried for an entirely different reason. 

Karolina knows seeing Nico again has left all of them feeling surprised and confused and a whole host of other emotions. But they must know that it’s different for Karolina. 

Because this is Nico, and her and Karolina had _something_. 

That is until Nico left them behind — left _her_ behind. 

Shaking away those thoughts, Karolina evenly meets her friends’ worried gazes. 

Clearing her throat, she reminds them of what exactly they are here for, “They also mentioned someone named Hazmat?” Karolina asks pointedly, “She was on it too, right?”

At that, her friends all snap to attention again. 

“Yeah, she was on it too.” Chase confirms. “But, didn’t that guy say that only one of them was going to survive?” He asks, confusion evident in his tone, “Some shit must’ve happened if all three of them came out of that arena.”

Karolina frowns at him and he raises his hands as he quickly continues, “Not that I’m not happy that there are more survivors!” 

Before Karolina can say anything, Alex says, “Look, as Chase says, some shit must have happened on that arena. But what exactly those circumstances are, we don’t know. And that leads me to my next point.”

“Which is?” Gert asks.

“Well, it’s about those videos.” Karolina tenses after hearing Alex say that, not really sure where he is going with it. After a beat, Alex continues, “We all know that Arcade guy will release more of them. And while they are very... _disturbing_ , I think we need to watch all of them.”

Karolina is stunned into silence. She completely forgot that there are going to be more of those videos. What she’s seen so far has been _horrific_ and she can’t believe they’ve only seen _two_ days of it. 

Suddenly, Cammi’s earlier words drift through Karolina’s mind, _“They’ve only seen the first two days. How do you think they’ll react when they see the rest of it?”_

Karolina’s heart clenches as she remembers those words and suddenly, the thought of watching more videos terrify her. 

Karolina is snapped out of her thoughts as she hears, “But if its really that bad, maybe we should just... ignore it?” Molly argues softly, still not quite understanding the situation. She must see how bothered they all are, and wanting to protect them, offered that suggestion of ignoring it. 

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Alex looks at Molly as he softly but firmly says, “As much as I’d love to ignore it... we _have_ to watch them.” Alex looks around at all of them, squaring his shoulders in determination, “If we want to help Nico, we need to better understand what she went through.” 

And as much as the thought of watching more of those videos turn her stomach, Karolina knows she’d watch hundreds more of those if it means helping Nico.

* * *

Karolina was just about to head upstairs when a purple mist suddenly appears in the middle of the living room.

She was completely alone; the rest of the group went to their respective rooms after their earlier conversation, all of them needing some space to process everything that’s happened so far. 

Eyes widening in alarm, Karolina takes a defensive posture — one arm up and ready to start blasting.

But then, the mist clears and she sees _her_. 

Nico.

Nico who’s shrouded in purple mist with eyes that are glowing just as purple — and Karolina stares in surprise because she’s never seen _that_ before. In the past, black cracks used to appear around Nico’s eyes whenever she lost control of her powers, but those are no longer present now. 

This seems different. 

She looks in control. She looks powerful and majestic and untouchable. 

She looks every bit the powerful witch she’s always supposed to be. 

And Karolina marvels at the sight of her. 

But then the mist clears and Nico’s eyes turn back to their familiar brown.

And Karolina’s breath catches in her throat because seeing Nico _here_ again, after so many years, just feels so right. 

A charged moment passes between them and Karolina shifts from one foot to another. 

Finally, Karolina clears her throat as she responds to Nico’s quietly whispered greeting. And while there are so many things she wants to say, so many questions she wants to ask; all she can really say in this moment is, “Welcome home.”

They end up staring at each other again, but then she hears an impressed whistle and a familiar voice saying, “Cool digs.”

At that, Karolina comes to her senses, finally noticing that they are not alone — there are two girls with Nico, one on each side.

With her hood off, Karolina finally gets a good look at Cammi — a pretty girl with a pixie cut that compliments her face well. She’s looking all around them, eyes guarded as she continues to hang on to Nico’s arm. 

On the other side of Nico, she notices another pretty girl, she has a shoulder-length bob and is slightly taller than both Cammi and Nico. 

_“She must be Hazmat_.” Karolina realizes as she thinks back to their previous conversation at Timely. Karolina looks on in worry as Hazmat continues to just stand there, looking blankly straight ahead. 

Finally remembering her manners, Karolina greets them, “Hey, welcome to the Hostel.” Moving forward, she extends a hand out to Cammi, introducing herself, “I’m Karolina.”

Cammi glances down at her hand and Karolina can see a hint of suspicion. She sees Cammi surreptitiously glancing at Nico, who gives her a slight nod in return, before she finally steps forward as well. Then, she takes Karolina’s proferred hand, shaking it firmly, “Hey, I’m Cammi.”

Karolina smiles at her, letting go after shaking her hard firmly in return. Then, she turns to look at Hazmat, who still seems unresponsive. 

She’s feeling hesitant and worried, so she glances at Nico who seems to understand what she’s thinking. 

Quietly, Nico tells her, “This is Hazmat.” 

“Is she... okay?” Karolina feels like slapping herself after she asks, because Hazmat is obviously _not_ okay and that was such an insensitive question. 

Thankfully, Nico doesn’t berate her or anything; she just purses her lips tightly before she shakes her head, gently saying, “Not really.” Then, looking around the Hostel, Nico asks, “Is there a room where she can rest?” 

“Yeah, she can take the guest bedroom.” Karolina informs her.

Nico’s gaze snap back to her and Karolina can see her brows lifted in surprise, “There’s a guest bedroom now?”

“Yeah,” Karolina chuckles lightly, “Our parents visit sometimes.”

“Ah.” Nico looks contemplative for a moment before asking, “Um, where is this guest bedroom located by the way?” 

“Oh!” Karolina jumps slightly before hurriedly giving her directions, “Second floor, fourth door to the right.” 

Nico murmurs something to the still unreponsive Hazmat at her side, and Karolina steps back, wanting to give them some privacy. 

Just as she steps back though, Cammi steps closer to Nico, and she touches her elbow to catch her attention. Karolina observes Nico and Cammi’s silent interaction; only a few hushed words exchanged between them before they come to some sort of understanding as they nod at each other. 

Karolina feels _something_ stirring in her chest as she sees how familiar they seem with each other. 

That _something_ is one Karolina chooses to ignore as Cammi suddenly looks at her, giving her a small, tight-lipped smile before she gently takes Hazmat’s hand and leads her upstairs; leaving her and Nico completely alone.

* * *

It’s so... _quiet_.

They’re both just standing there, not saying anything, both avoiding each other’s eyes. 

Karolina isn’t really sure what to do with herself because here they are, finally alone, after three long years. 

And Karolina has so many questions — _Where were you? Did you get any of my texts? What happened on that arena? What made you come back now? Are you back for good? Why did you leave us?_

And most importantly: _Why did you leave **me**?_

But Karolina doesn’t ask any of that; instead, she purses her lips tightly as she wraps her arms around herself, choosing to stay quiet. 

Nico is the first to break the silence. “So, um, how are you?”

Karolina glances over at Nico, who is looking at her carefully. 

“I’m... fine.” She replies with a slight shrug. 

They fall into another silence at that and Karolina hates this; hates how stilted and awkward and hesitant they are around each other. There used to be a time when they were inseparable, and happy, and in love —

A loud booming sound startles Karolina out of her thoughts. 

Suddenly, she hears a door banging open as a startled voice shouts, “Nico! What’s going on?!”

Karolina looks up and sees Cammi running down the stairs, gun in hand, as she looks around them frantically, “Are we under attack?” 

“Did I just hear someone say Nico? Are they here?” Karolina sees Chase walking out of the garage, “And sorry about that by the way, that was just — _whoa!_ ” Chase stops abruptly as he puts his arms up.

Karolina whips her head around to see what caused Chase’s panic. She stiffens immediately as she sees Cammi — who is now pointing her gun at Chase; chest heaving and a frantic look in her eyes. 

Karolina steps in front of Chase, and she’s just about to put her arms up to form a force field for protection; when suddenly, Nico steps directly in front of the gun, effectively shielding them both.

Karolina can hear pounding footsteps and a chorus of shouts around them, _“What’s going on?” “Whoa, is that a gun?”_

But Karolina pays them no mind, her gaze completely focused on Nico. _In front of a gun._

Karolina blanches at the sight. 

But Nico’s stance remains loose and calm and poised, as if having a gun pointed at her is nothing to be worried about. 

“What’s going on?” Karolina hears Chase hiss quietly behind her.

Still not taking her eyes off of Nico, Karolina whispers back, “It’s been a pretty tense day, Chase. That booming sound must have triggered Cammi or something.”

Chase doesn’t say anything to that. 

Karolina stays completely still, and out of the corner of her eye, she can see Gert, Molly, and Alex standing still as well. 

Heart in her throat, Karolina watches as Nico steps closer to Cammi. She hears Nico assuring her, “Cammi. It’s okay. It’s just me.” Nico takes another step closer, “We’re at the Hostel. It’s my home. We’re not _there_ anymore. We got out. We’re safe.” 

Nico’s words must finally get through to Cammi and she finally lowers her gun; Karolina lets out a relieved breath as she does so. 

Looking over to Chase, Cammi says in an apologetic tone, “Sorry about pointing my gun at you.”

Chase finally steps out from behind Karolina, stepping forward as he replies, “It’s okay. Sorry I startled you.” And just as Karolina did earlier, he extends his hand out for a handshake as he introduces himself, “I’m Chase.” 

With a hint of hesitation in her movements, Karolina watches as Cammi steps around Nico, her hand outstretched to shake Chase’s, “I’m Cammi.” 

After the two shake hands, the tension that enveloped the group lightens significantly and the others all step closer as they introduce themselves as well. 

And as the rest of her friends exchange introductions with Cammi, Karolina’s gaze remains focused on Nico who is still standing with her back to Karolina; still unmoving with her hands clenched tightly at her sides. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for putting up with my slow, random updates. my muse and real life are both being a pain in the ass lately and while i’ve had a few chapters written, i haven’t had the time to edit them and finish the latest chapters. anyways, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy this one! - L

Nico wakes up with a gasp.

Having a gun pointed at her earlier has triggered some very unpleasant memories — _of being at the end of Rebecca’s cyborg gun arm, of being attacked and helpless —_

Sitting bolt upright in bed, Nico waves a hand in the air, immediately bringing some light into the room. 

Shaking away those memories, Nico tries to re-orient herself. 

She takes slow, deep breaths and she reminds herself, _“I’m at the Hostel. Staying in the same room I stayed at when I was younger. I’m okay. I’m safe. I’m home. I’m alive.”_

* * *

Still feeling a little shaken, Nico goes to the kitchen in search of some tea to help calm her down. 

But when she gets there, her heart races for an entirely different reason. 

Sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island — _well, that’s new_ — is Karolina, who’s looking down at her own mug, seemingly lost in thought.

Not wanting to disturb her, Nico slowly backs away, but she immediately freezes when she hears a quiet murmur, “Couldn’t sleep?”

Eyes darting back to Karolina who is still looking down at her mug, Nico hesitantly steps back into the kitchen, “Not really.” Scratching the back of her neck, Nico tentatively inquires, “Didn’t you go back to your apartment?”

At her question, Karolina finally lifts her head to meet Nico’s eyes, “I did.” Eyes darting around, Karolina finishes with a shrug, “Then I came back. I just thought someone should at least stay with you guys here. Just to help out or something.”

And Nico deflates at that because _of course_ that’s the reason why she’s here. Karolina’s always been a kind person — always ready to lend a helping hand to whoever needs it. 

“Oh, um, thanks then.” Nico awkwardly replies as she moves to the kitchen cabinets — _and seriously, the Hostel went through some serious makeover_ — rummaging for some tea, “But really, we’re fine.” 

“Coffee’s on the cabinet to your right.” Karolina informs her. 

Nico pauses for a beat before she gently corrects her, “I’m actually looking for some tea.” 

“Tea?” Nico glances over her shoulder as she hears the surprise in Karolina’s tone. Nico understands her surprise; after all, she was never known for drinking tea.

Karolina has one brow raised in question, and Nico turns back to rummage through the cabinets again as she answers her silent inquiry. “Yeah, I mean, as much I love coffee, tea has somewhat become my drink of choice. Particularly for nights like these you know?” Nico rambles as she lets out a mirthless chuckle, “I mean, it’s better to take the edge off with tea rather than drown it out with alcohol right?”

Karolina remains silent behind her, and Nico suddenly finds herself lost in thought —

She really only started drinking tea around three years ago, after she was saved and brought back from 1907. 

After the fight with Morgan, Nico left everyone behind as she decided to travel around, looking to train and control her powers. 

And she was doing really well the first couple of months, but then a spell went wrong, and she got sent back to 1907 — where her great grandmother sensed her presence, kidnapped her, and tortured her in an effort to make her more powerful. 

_“The more pain you learn to take, the more power you will control.”_ Nico remembers her great grandmother’s words very clearly, _“I can make you better. Or kill you if I am wrong about your potential.”_

A week and a half later, SH.I.E.L.D. agents were able to retrieve her and Nico _did_ walk out of that situation; stronger and more powerful than she ever had been. But after being held hostage and tied up and tortured for days, she was jittery and on edge — adding caffeine on top of her frayed nerves was just a _disaster_. 

So Nico turned to alcohol as she tried to drown out her demons. But she found that when she got drunk, she couldn’t really control her thoughts and she found herself constantly dredging past memories of _Karolina, Karolina, Karolina._

She stopped drinking after a week and switched to tea. 

She may have withstood _physical_ torture for days without breaking, but Nico’s not sure she can take that kind of mental torture without collapsing in on herself.

So she drank tea whenever she was feeling overwhelmed or on edge or unable to sleep — it truly helped take the edge off considerably. 

It also helped her better control her thoughts and kept any past memories from resurfacing. 

(Nico’s not sure which benefit she appreciated more.)

* * *

Nico is so lost in her thoughts that she’s completely caught off-guard when she feels a presence behind her. Turning around in alarm, she finds herself just inches away from Karolina who is looking at her intently.

Nico jumps back in surprise, only for her back to hit the kitchen counter behind her. 

Groaning internally, Nico realizes that she’s trapped between a rock and a hard place; so to speak. 

Because the counter behind her is digging into her back painfully, but moving away from it will mean stepping closer to Karolina’s soft, warm body which is something she has absolutely no right to think about anymore — so yeah, rock and a hard place. Both are equally unpleasant situations, for entirely different reasons.

Thankfully, Karolina backs off immediately with a quiet apology, “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. But here,” Karolina holds something out to her and _oh_ , it’s a tea bag tin, “I hope you like chamomile.”

Flushing in embarrassment, Nico reaches out for the tin that Karolina is holding out to her, careful not to touch her, “I do, thank you.” Karolina gives her a small smile as she goes back to her previously seated position. 

As Nico sets about preparing her tea, she mutters a soft apology, “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m sorry for being so... jumpy.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Nico.” Karolina says in a soft, yet firm voice.

Huffing out a disbelieving laugh, Nico spins around again, arms crossed over her chest as she regards Karolina, “That’s not entirely true is it?” 

And Karolina just stares and stares at Nico, not saying anything. 

Nico watches as Karolina brings one hand up to rub her temple, while the other grips the handle of her mug tightly. “Nico, it’s been a long day for both of us.” Karolina tells her, warning clear in her tone. 

Nico’s about to apologize again because Karolina _is_ right — it’s been a long day and they’re both obviously exhausted; having _that_ conversation right now really isn’t the best course of action. 

Before she can say anything, she hears the all-too familiar whistling of the kettle so she immediately turns around to turn the stove off. When that’s done, she turns back to Karolina, intent on apologizing again — only to find her gone, leaving Nico all alone.

* * *

Nico doesn’t see Karolina again until three days later.

Karolina seems to be avoiding her; but that doesn’t hold true for the rest seeing as Gert, Molly, Chase, and Alex have all constantly dropped by the Hostel to hang out with her. Cammi joins them sometimes as well, and Nico is happy to note that her friends and Cammi all get along.

Nico notices that they also take turns staying the night, presumably to act as a guard. And as much as she wants to protest it, Nico decides to let it go and be grateful for it instead; having an extra set of hands around the Hostel has given Nico some peace of mind. After all, Hazmat’s still pretty out of it, and both Nico and Cammi are worried about her. They do their best to take care of her, but they’re tired and on edge. 

Then there are the videos to worry about. 

As much as Nico doesn’t want to think about them, as much as she doesn’t want to think back on her time at the arena, it’s always been just _there_ at the back of her mind; shoved inside boxes and pushed so far back inside her she almost forgot about them. 

_Almost_ , being the keyword. There are times when the memories sneak past her tightly closed boxes, but she’s usually really good at pushing them back; that is until Arcade decided to upload those damn videos. 

Now, everything that Nico has repressed; all those memories and feelings, are bubbling up to the surface again and she’s having a hard time shoving them back. 

And oh Nico hasn’t watched any of it (she doesn’t need to watch any videos; not when she’s got actual memories of the damn arena) but Nico knows more videos have been uploaded — it’s obvious in the way that her friends all _look_ at her, a mixture of pity and concern. Thankfully, they haven’t said anything. They don’t ask her about any of it either, which Nico’s really grateful for. 

Deep down, she’s also a little grateful that Karolina’s been avoiding her. _“Or maybe she’s just busy and has no time for you?”_ A voice in the back of her head snarks. 

Nico chooses to ignore that because, whatever Karolina’s reason was for not dropping by the Hostel since their tense encounter three days ago, she’s just happy to have had some time away from her. 

Because seeing Karolina; thinking about her _always_ brings up all sorts of emotions in Nico and she doesn’t really have the energy to deal with those on top of everything else. 

And how sad is that? That Karolina is now one of the things that Nico has to repress and avoid. 

So yeah, it’s been three days since Karolina last came to the Hostel. It’s been three days since Nico’s avoided any and all thoughts of her. 

That is until today. 

Molly has organized a movie night in an effort to bring them all together again. She also invited Cammi and Hazmat to join them, but Cammi politely declined, choosing to stay with Hazmat in their shared room instead.

So, here Nico is in the Hostel’s living room — which now has proper couches and a huge flatscreen, she notes with some surprise — staring straight ahead without really watching the movie.

She’s desperately trying not to let her eyes wander over to the side of the room where Karolina is standing, talking to someone on the phone and smiling softly. 

Sinking further down the couch, Nico thinks glumly, _“Must be the girlfriend Molly was talking about.”_ Nico feels a pang of jealousy which she tamps downs immediately because _no_. 

She doesn’t have that right anymore.

* * *

Chase stays behind that night and after they say goodbye to the rest of their friends, Chase heads to the garage as Nico goes upstairs to the guest bedroom where Hazmat and Cammi are staying. 

Nico knocks gently on their door. After a few moments, the door opens just as gently, revealing Cammi, “Hey. Movie night over?” Nico nods as she backs away slowly, leaning against the railing as Cammi steps out of the room completely, carefully closing the door behind her, “Hazmat’s already asleep.” 

Cammi leans on the railing beside Nico. They share a moment of silence, before Cammi reveals, “He’s released 18 videos so far.” 

“Fuck.” Nico huffs out, frustration lacing her tone, “It’s only been a few days and he’s already uploaded so many?”

“Probably because it’s getting so many views. Bastard must be enjoying the attention.” 

“Oh, he definitely is.” Nico growls out. Taking a deep breath, Nico carefully asks, “Have you watched them?”

Cammi turns to look at her completely and Nico shifts to meet her gaze as well, “No.” Sighing, Cammi then admits, “I have seen some clips though. Seen some news reports about them too.”

Jaw clenching tightly, Nico says, “I’ve talked to my mom. She’s still trying to trace where the videos are coming from, but she hasn’t had any luck so far. Neither has Alex.” 

And yes, Nico has kept in touch with her mother over the years. After everything that they went through with the Morgan debacle, Nico and her mom has had a somewhat _okay_ relationship; or at least, as okay as it’s going to be. So when she left, Nico sent her the occasional text to at least let her know that she was alive. After all, they’re the only family the other has left. 

Another silence falls over them, before Nico breaks it by asking, “Have you heard from Aiden? Cullen? Rebecca?”

“No. They must be hiding too.” Cammi guesses with a shrug, “Wherever they are, I just hope they’re safe.”

Nico desperately hopes for that to be true; after all, they’ve all been through enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: before nico goes through hell in the arena, she also went through shit when she got taken by the witchbreaker (her great-grandma). this encounter really powered her up though, giving her a new staff and new abilities. 
> 
> (note: the way nico travels to 1907 and gets back to the present isn’t what happened in the comics — the entire runaways gang actually gets sent back in time and there’s a whole deal about time machines and whatnot which i obviously didn’t include here)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major spoilers ahead (though is it really still a spoiler if the comic has been out for years...?)

Karolina’s been avoiding Nico. 

After that tense encounter in the kitchen three days ago, she’s been staying out of the Hostel. She’s been trying to distract herself — she went to her classes, studied for her exams, hung out with her college friends, but she just can’t get away from _it_. 

Those damn videos. 

They are _everywhere_. 

Everyone’s talking about it. It floods her social media pages, it dominates the news, she even hears about it while walking down the street. 

And it’s not the videos per se that bother her; though _they do_ — bother her a lot that is. 

It’s just that with those videos come thoughts of _her_. 

Nico. 

And as much as she wants to avoid those videos completely, as much as she wants to avoid thoughts of _her,_ she has taken Alex’ advice and watched all the videos that has been uploaded so far. 

To better understand what happened to Nico. 

To better understand what’s been done to her. 

And so, she watched the videos, even when doing so turned her stomach. 

She’s had to watch Nico struggle alone during the first few days; had to watch her as she struggled to sleep, probably too afraid of what will happen if she closes her eyes. 

She watched as Nico tried to form an alliance with Hazmat and her group by offering them a fruit tree she conjured up — only to be wrongly accused a day later of attacking a boy called Reptil which got her promptly kicked out of the alliance; tree-less after Hazmat burned it up in revenge. 

Nico goes on the run again after that. She doesn’t appear in a few videos, until she shows up again; saving Cammi who was about to get buried in an avalanche. The two form an alliance after that, heading to the “safe zones” that Arcade has announced contain the supplies that they need to survive.

So yes, she’s been avoiding Nico. 

Not just because of that tense encounter in the kitchen but also because she doesn’t quite know how to face her after everything she’s seen so far. 

Karolina wants to shake her for not reaching out to them... for not reaching out to _her_ after what she’s been through. 

She wants to hug her and never let go for surviving that nightmare. 

And her avoidance strategy has been working well so far; that is until Molly organized a movie night for all of them. And well, Karolina’s never really been able to say no to Molly. That’s really the only reason why she’s agreeing to it. 

(At least, that’s what she tells herself as she accepts Molly’s invitation. And if there’s another reason why she wants to go to the Hostel, well, she doesn’t really want to dwell on that.)

* * *

Movie night was fun, and ultimately, uneventful. It felt like old times — back when they were younger and innocent and carefree. 

Back when they didn’t know about PRIDE and corrupt cops and evil witches. 

Multiple conversations fly around the room; there’s Gert and Molly talking about the latter’s upcoming dance performance, then there’s Chase and Alex arguing about which movie to watch. However, when the boys’ argument starts to get heated, Gert and Molly step in — with Molly ultimately picking what movie they should watch. And of course, all of them agree because none of them can really say no to her. 

And amidst all that chaos, amidst all that noise, Karolina and Nico remain silent. Both refusing to meet the other’s eyes. Both on other ends of the room — with Nico sitting on a single chair closest to the flatscreen, while Karolina is leaning on the doorway on the other side of the room.

Their eyes met briefly when she first entered the room, but apart from that initial eye contact, they’ve been studiously avoiding each other’s gazes. 

And Karolina tamps down the temptation to glance her way again because if she starts looking at her, she may not be able to stop. 

So once the movie starts playing, Karolina tries to focus on it, she really does; but she can feel her conviction waning. 

But just as she’s about to give in to the temptation, just as she’s about to look at Nico again, her phone starts to ring and she huffs out an irritated, yet relieved sigh. 

Going to a quiet corner of the living room, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and seeing who it is, answers it with a soft smile, “Hi, Mom.”

* * *

They stayed for two movies before heading back to their respective apartments. Chase stays behind, as per their secret agreement that atleast one person should stay each night to help out Nico and her guests. 

And Karolina will admit that movie night was fun. 

It felt like old times — back when they were younger and innocent and carefree.

It felt like Nico never left. 

_But she did._

She left and things have never really been the same. 

(Karolina goes right back to avoiding her and the Hostel after that.)

* * *

A week later, Karolina’s world falls apart.

It’s an uneventful evening and she’s about to veg out on the couch, ready to tackle her ever-growing Netflix _My List_. 

That is until she gets a call from Gert. 

“Hey Gert, what’s up?” Karolina asks as she starts to browse through her list. 

“Karolina...” Gert starts, her tone soft yet cautious. Dread curling in her stomach, Karolina knows what she’s about to say next, “He’s back.”

After uploading 23 videos within the span of 5 days, Arcade’s uploads just... stopped. 

And Karolina hoped that it was over. That the people on that arena got rescued on the 24th day, traumatized but relatively unharmed. They have lost people along the way, but there were still 10 of them left standing. And Nico was one of them. 

But no matter how much she hoped that it was over, Karolina got the sneaking suspicion that Arcade just wanted to heighten the anticipation; and it has. 

The anticipation has been building continuously — people are clamoring for an update; demanding for new videos to drop. Most people are actually _excited_ to know what happens during the final week in Murderworld. 

But amidst all the demand, Arcade remained silent; no updates, no videos, no nothing. 

Until now. 

Which means that something big must be coming. 

So getting this call from Gert now, after days of silence from Arcade, brings a sense of dread to Karolina.

“How many?” Karolina asks quietly.

She hears Gert sigh on the other end of the line, “The entire final week of Murderworld. Days 24 to 30.”

* * *

Karolina drives as fast as she can to Gert’s home — a relatively modest-sized house she shares with Molly after Dale and Stacy gave up legal guardianship over to Gert. Their parents paid for it as well, wanting to give their daughters a proper home (plus it allowed them to keep Old Lace with plenty of space to spare). Chase has all but moved into Gert’s home too; Karolina knows he barely goes back to his own apartment, preferring to stay by Gert’s side most of the time. 

When she steps inside Gert’s home, Karolina can see that she’s the last to arrive. She spots Chase and Molly sitting on the couch, quietly talking to each other; while Alex is fiddling with the flatscreen and his laptop, probably preparing the videos. Looking around, she spots Gert in the kitchen, moving around and seemingly preparing... popcorn? 

_“Is she seriously preparing snacks?”_ Karolina thinks angrily, _“As if we’re just about to watch some exciting new movie?”_ But before she can speak her mind, Karolina notices how jerky and stilted Gert’s movements are. 

_“She’s anxious,”_ Karolina realizes with a start, _“She’s probably just trying to distract herself.”_ Upon realizing that, Karolina calms down and takes a seat beside Molly. 

Molly glances over to her and gives her a small smile; Karolina can see how nervous she is too. At first, they didn’t want Molly to watch any of the videos; but then they realized that they can’t really shield her from _this._ Not when its constantly on the news, not when its flooding social media. And of course, they couldn’t stop her from watching because — 

_“She’s my friend too!”_ Karolina remembers Molly heatedly saying, _“I want to know what happened to Nico. I want to know so I can help her.”_

And so they all watched the videos that Arcade has released so far. They all watched the first 23 videos on their own time; however, they all agreed that they should watch the last few videos together. Apparently, they all shared the feeling that the worst is yet to come and didn’t want to watch those remaining videos alone. 

After a moment, Gert joins them in the living room, placing a bowl of popcorn on the coffeetable and settling down beside Chase. 

“Now that Karolina’s here, should we get started?” Alex asks as he looks around them. At his question, they all share determined glances before nodding at Alex. 

* * *

**_Day 24_ **

_Nara, a blue-skinned Atlantean; Cullen, a short, blonde young man; and Aiden an auburn-haired, axe-wielding man, swim back to shore after being betrayed by their supposed allies. They argue where to go next; with Nara wanting to extract revenge, while Cullen just wants to head to a safe zone._

_However, as they continue to walk and argue, a blue light suddenly envelopes them and transports them directly to Safe Zone 2; just as their previous allies — Kid Briton, the teenage version of Captain Britain; Katy, a raven-haired young woman, and Rebecca, a young girl whose left side of the body (including the left side of her face) is made entirely of mechanical components — show up as well._

_“Nara, listen. Arcade’s done this trap. He’s set it up this way but you don’t have to bite.” Aiden says, urging Nara not to start a fight._

_Completely disregarding him, Nara retorts, “This is exactly what I mean, sometimes, you **do** have to bite.” Stepping forward, Nara confronts Katy, informing her that they’ve figured it out — that Katy has been controlling Rebecca’s actions, using her as her weapon. _

_A fight breaks out between the two groups; with Nara focusing all of her anger on Katy._

_Kid Briton, wanting to protect his girlfriend Katy, attacks Nara in retaliation — only to have his head cut off by Aiden._

* * *

“Holy shit!” Karolina hears Chase exclaim. 

Beside her, she can feel Molly shifting around, moving even closer to her probably seeking some comfort. 

_“Holy shit indeed_.” Karolina thinks to herself as her mouth set in a hard line, steeling herself for what else is about to come.

* * *

_The fight ends abruptly after that; with Aiden standing over Kid Briton’s headless corpse, shell-shocked and completely regretting what he’s done. Nara stands behind him, bleeding from the cut that Kid Briton inflicted on her, with Cullen field dressing her wound._

_Katy and Rebecca disappeared amidst all the chaos._

_“What’ll_ _we do with him now?” Aiden asks quietly._

_Casually, Cullen replies, “You’ve already done the last thing that will ever need doing, mate. He’s dead and gone.”_

_Still looking down at the body, Aiden says, “No, I mean we have to bury him or something. Can’t just leave him to rot in the sun. He deserves better than what I —“_

_Before Aiden can finish, Nara cuts him off, “Lift your head up. This wasn’t done in cold blood. You didn’t kill that git for sport. He’d have torn me to pieces if you hadn’t stepped up.” Nara steps closer to Aiden, “You’re a warrior. You finally embraced what you are and what this place is all about. A warrior never has to apologize for protecting what’s his.” And with that, Nara kisses Aiden deeply._

_Throughout all that, Cullen remains silent and he looks away as the two share a passionate kiss._

_—————_

_Cammi and Nico arrive just as Nara kisses Aiden._

_They keep their distance from the group; that is until Cullen approaches them._

_With her gun pointed straight at Cullen, Cammi demands, “State your business shortstop.”_

_“Can’t think of a reasonable way to put this so I’ll just go.” Exhaustion evident in his tone, Cullen continues, “One of us cut another one’s head off over there. I’m sure you saw. Good guy won and all that but we did know the bloke. Doesn’t feel right leaving him in the sun. Bit smelly if nothing else.”_

_Nico and Cammi share a glance at that, before turning back to meet Cullen’s gaze as he offers, “Loads of food in that cache we won. We’ll split with you lot if you’ll help us put him in the ground.”_

_Nico and Cammi agree to help out after that._

_—————_

_On another part of the arena, X-23 — a raven-haired woman with powers similar to Wolverine — finds her previously lost comrade, Juston, buried underground along with his Sentinel._

_After being attacked by Rebecca and Katy, Juston was left on the desert, paralyzed from the waist down. Driven by revenge, he fought to survive and rebuilt his Sentinel as a pilot-operated fighting machine._

_Wanting to help her friend, X-23 helps Juston out as he finishes repairing his Sentinel and together, they finally escape from underneath the ground._

_—————_

_A few ways away from Cullen’s and Nico’s combined group are Rebecca and Katy who successfully escaped amidst the confusion of Kid Briton’s death._

_Plowing through the thick snow, Rebecca chases after Katy, demanding an explanation._

_But then Katy stumbles and hits her head, and Rebecca rushes over to help her asking what’s wrong — only to be taken by surprise when a man turns around to meet her gaze, “Nothing’s wrong, love. But my name’s not Katy, my name’s Tim.”_

* * *

“Wait,” Karolina hears her own confusion mirrored in Molly’s tone as she asks no one in particular, “Did... did that girl just turn into a _guy_?” 

Karolina and the rest stay quiet, not really sure how to answer her question.

* * *

_Later that evening, X-23 and Juston run into Tim and Rebecca._

_From atop his Sentinel, Juston mistakes Tim for Katy. And so, hell-bent on revenge after Katy and Rebecca’s attack paralyzed and nearly killed him on that desert, he attacks them relentlessly._

_Rebecca and Tim run desperately, screaming for help. Eventually, they reach the area where Nico and Cammi — along with Cullen, Aiden, and Nara — are resting._

_Everyone jumps into action, with Nico immediately summoning her staff and casting a spell, “On the rocks!”_

_It stops the Sentinel in its tracks for a bit, but then, the Sentinel starts moving again and Juston fires directly at Nico in retaliation._

* * *

Gasps can be heard all around the room as they see Nico go down after directly taking the blast from the Sentinel. 

With her heart clenching violently in her chest, Karolina doesn’t take her eyes off of the screen as she desperately pleads in her head, _“Get up, get up, get up.”_

* * *

_Cammi helps Nico get back on her feet, while X-23 urges Juston to stop and think._

_But Juston refuses to listen, screaming at X-23 to get out of his way._

_As he refuses to calm down, everyone decides to face off against Juston and his Sentinel; but as they are getting ready to attack, Tim suddenly soars above them and pointing directly at the Sentinel, he roars, “Shut down!”_

_And just like that, the Sentinel powers down and collapses to the ground along with Juston who is still endlessly angry and screaming for revenge._

_Trying to calm Juston down, Rebecca explains that Katy’s gone; that it’s now Tim occupying the body and he’s innocent of everything that Katy has done._

_At this, the group becomes divided again — others agree with Juston who is saying they should still kill Tim; while the rest are hesitant to kill an innocent man._

_The group continues to argue until Tim finally breaks his silence, “Look, maybe killing me makes the most sense. But can I at least have a chance to explain first? You can tie me up or whatever.”_

_The group decides to give him a chance, tying him up tightly as they all settle around a bonfire to listen to his story._

_And so, Tim explains how he and Katy are twins; but not like regular twins — they share a body. Female when Katy has it, male when Tim does. They’re both technopaths who can control and manipulate machines._

_Until two years ago, they took turns at being; switching back and forth every 24 hours. But then, Katy grew hungry for a more normal life; she threw tantrums, terrorized their household, and cursed at their parents, angry that she couldn’t get what she wanted. But one day, she just... stopped. Then she became quiet and withdrawn; spending most of her time studying and practicing her powers._

_A few months later, when Tim and his dad were headed to a dentist appointment, Katy caused an accident which their parents believed to have killed Tim. Only, Tim wasn’t dead. All those months that Katy spent researching and studying was all so she could supress him, to shove him back and take his place. And she succeeded._

_And so, Tim remained trapped for two years; watching everything his sister did through their shared eyes, unable to do anything. That is until they got to this arena, and Katy got so thoroughly beaten at her own game. And in her weakened state, Tim was able to regain some control, finally able to break out after years of imprisonment._

* * *

“Damn,” Karolina hears Chase exclaim with quiet disbelief, “He was trapped for _two years_?” 

* * *

_After Tim’s story, the group reconvenes without him. They argue whether they should let him live or die; ultimately putting it to a vote, which ends up being 2 to 5 in favor of letting him live._

_And so they decide to keep him tied up under 24-hour surveillance. Initially, X-23 offers to take first watch, but Nico asks to have it instead._

* * *

Karolina watches as Nico settles down somewhere near Tim and Rebecca; far enough to give them some privacy, but still close enoughto take action if necessary. 

Everything seemed okay as the night wore on; everyone was settled and warm around the bonfire, finally getting some sleep after an exhausting few days. On the other hand, Nico remained awake and alert and unmoving. 

Everything was quiet and peaceful and calm — until it wasn’t.

Karolina can feel Molly’s fingers digging into her arm, but she pays it no mind as her eyes remained glued to the screen. 

* * *

_Nico turns her head away for a moment, but as she does so, she fails to notice the **shift**. _

_Katy is back._

_And with a sinister smile on her face, Katy quickly approaches Nico from behind; hitting her head hard and effectively knocking her out._

_Then, Katy quietly approaches Juston who is sleeping a little further away from the group. She nudges him awake, but before he can even fully comprehend what’s going on, Katy snaps his neck, ultimately taking his life right there and then._

_And then, taking the Sentinel and Rebecca, Katy flies away from the group, already plotting her revenge._

* * *

The video ends and all Karolina can do is stare blankly at the screen. They just watched _two_ people die violently in a single day. 

There’s a thick, heavy tension in the air; everyone seemingly lost in their own thoughts. 

But then, Gert breaks the silence and says in a heavy tone, “Well, that was... intense.” Looking slowly around the group, Gert asks them hesitantly, “Should we stop here?”

“No.” Karolina says immediately, “Let’s finish this tonight.”

* * *

**_Day 25_ **

_Nico wakes just as the dawn breaks and immediately, she looks around her surroundings._

_Finally noticing that Katy, Rebecca, and Juston are gone, Nico gets up right away and starts pacing, “Oh my god, oh my god what did I let happen? All I had to do was keep watch and make sure Tim didn’t turn into Katy. Now Katy’s back, and Juston and Rebecca are gone.”_

* * *

Karolina hates this — she hates how Katy has hurt Nico; hates how much Nico blames herself; and most of all, she hates that Nico’s all alone. 

Karolina hates knowing that while they were all here enjoying their lives, Nico was _there_ living a nightmare. 

* * *

_Nico wakes X-23, hoping that she could help._

_Seemingly startled after Nico wakes her, X-23 tackles Nico to the ground, her claws out as she growls out, “What?!”_

_Noticing that it’s just Nico, X-23 sheaths her claws and helps Nico up with a quiet applogy. Then, she listens to Nico as she explains that she must have been knocked out during her watch, seeing as she just woke up bloody and with a splitting headache._

_Looking over the horizon, Nico says, “If Katy’s back in control, she’s been outed. No more secrets. No reason to hide. This is as bad as it gets. Now she has a deathlok, a sentinel, and Juston as a hostage.”_

_“Bad yes. But Juston is not a hostage.” X-23 remains silent for a beat before continuing in a heavy tone, “Juston is dead.”_

_A guilt-stricken look passes over Nico’s features as a quiet “Oh” escapes her lips._

_They share a quiet moment before Nico asks with resolve in her tone, “What do we do now?”_

_“You stay here. I will try and get them back.” And with that, X-23 leaves to track Katy and Rebecca down._

_—————_

_On another part of the arena, Katy disposes of Juston’s corpse as she takes control over the Sentinel._

_Rebecca, still under her control but retaining her consciousness this time, begs Katy to just let her go. The two continue to argue until —_

_X-23 shows up, finally having caught up to them. Unfortunately, no matter how strong X-23 is, she is unable to beat Katy who now has full control of the Sentinel._

_—————_

_Back at the makeshift campsite, the group formulates a plan of attack._

_“This is Nico’s call. Nobody else gets a vote.” Cammi announces strongly to the group._

_Nara counters, “What? Why the hell not?”_

_“Because,” Cammi points to Nara, “breathes water,”; then to Aiden, “strong like bull,”; then to Cullen, “angsty bazooka boy,”, and pointing at herself, “And me, raygun space girl. Do any of those power sets sound like they’d stack up well against a strategy obsessed technopath with a couple different sizes of killbot and two itchy fingers?”_

_Seeing Cammi’s point, the rest finally agree to the plan. With eveyone in agreement, Nico says, “Well then, I say we —“_

_Before Nico can finish voicing out her plan, a body falls from the sky and lands directly at their feet, taking all of them by surprise, “X-23?!”_

_They only have a moment to regain their composure as Katy descends upon all of them; full of confidence as she controls the sentinel and Rebecca, using both to attack all of them._

_Nico immediately takes action, casting one spell after another to protect the rest._

_One spell is able to hold down the sentinel down for awhile, buying them some time to escape._

_“You know we aren’t outrunning them on foot, so if you have some kind of get-the-fuck-out hoodoo, now’s the time to use it.” Cammi tells Nico as they desperately put some distance between themselves and Katy._

_Frustration clear in her voice, Nico retorts, “Teleport spells don’t work here. I’ve tried a bunch.”_

_“Well, try again!”_

_Now on the edge of a cliff with nowhere else to go, Nico desperately yells out, “Safe house!”_

_Suddenly, a cloud-like material appears on the edge of the cliff, allowing the rest to hop on it._

_“Where will that take us?” Cammi asks curiously._

_“No idea. Somewhere else in Murderworld. I guess that’s why the spell worked; wasn’t trying to leave.”_

_Hopping on, Cammi says, “Hey, anywhere but right here is just fine by me.”_

_However, just as Nico is about to hop on with the rest, she is suddenly hit with a blast from behind._

_Katy has caught up with them._

_Nico goes flying, landing with a hard thud on the ground; one of her legs bent at an odd angle._

* * *

Karolina gasps in horror after seeing Nico go down hard. And she can feel her horror growing even more when she hears Chase cry out, “Holy fuck is that _bone_ sticking out of her leg?!” Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Chase leaning forward on his seat, trying to take a closer look at the screen where Nico is still down on the hard ground. 

With a quiet whimper, Karolina wraps her arms around herself, watching helplessly as Nico closes the bridge she created, helping her friends escape while she faces off with Katy, the sentinel, and Rebecca alone. 

She watches as Nico struggles to her feet, using the Staff as a crutch. She can see the pain on Nico’s face as she hobbles on her feet, moving to point the Staff at Katy. But before Nico can even cast a spell, Katy blasts her left arm which was holding the Staff — cutting it clean off and breaking the Staff in the process. And as if that wasn’t enough, Katy orders Rebecca to kick Nico hard on the stomach, pushing her off of the cliff. 

“No!” Karolina screams at the screen helplessly, tears streaming down her face. 

She feels Molly wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder, quietly reminding her, “Karolina... she’s okay. She’s at the Hostel right now. Nico survives.” 

At Molly’s words, Karolina calms down and wipes her tears away as she finally remembers, _“Nico is at the Hostel. She survived. She’s alive.”_ But even as Karolina repeats those words in her head, the pain in her heart still doesn’t ease. 

* * *

_Cammi, Cullen, Aiden, Nara, and X-23 land on a beach which previously had only two other occupants — Hazmat and Reptil._

_They all carefully get back on their feet after landing with a hard thud, and X-23 finally recovers and wakes up, getting up with them as well._

_Then, everyone gathers together as they all explain their current situations. Cammi explains what happened so far and how Nico saved all of them from Katy, while Reptil explains how Hazmat took care of him as he recovered from his injuries. After which, both of them decided to stay on this beach, refusing to go back out on the arena, both refusing to play Arcade’s game._

_An argument breaks out, with the rest of them calling Hazmat and Reptil cowards for hiding._

_“Arcade can have my life but he doesn’t get anything else. I’m over fighting for his amusement. So you can hate me for it all you want—“ Hazmat says firmly, looking Cammi straight in the eyes, “but this coward is spending what’s left of her crap life doing beachy things and pretending to be normal.” And with that, Hazmat turns her back on them and walks away._

_Reptil follows after her, while the rest of them stay behind._

_Sighing, Cammi lets her go and turns around to face the rest of the group again, “Here’s my deal. I know we just got our asses handed to us, but Nico’s saved my life twice now and I’ve only got five days to return the favor. So, you guys can stay, but I’m going back out.”_

_After a beat, X-23 says, “Me too.”_

_“Right.” Cullen agrees quietly as well._

_Disbelief in her tone, Nara interjects, “You really think there’s any chance Nico’s still alive?_ ”

_“I dunno. Maybe not. But she’s earned a shot.”_

* * *

Karolina’s on the edge of her seat, desperate for Cammi to just _go;_ go look for Nico _right now._

She can feel how tense everyone is, all of them just waiting for Nico to show up on the screen again. 

And then, as if summoned by Karolina’s thoughts, she does. 

Karolina gasps as she sees how _broken_ Nico is. There’s bone sticking out of her leg and her left arm’s been cutoff at the elbow. She’s bleeding and battered and broken.

She’s lying on the cold, hard ground; looking up at the sky as she tries to catch her breath. Karolina can see how much pain she’s in, but she also notices the familar glint of anger and determination in Nico’s eyes.

Karolina watches as Nico just lies there for a moment; until finally, she grits her teeth, rolls over onto her stomach, and starts to crawl.

“Come on, come on, come on.” Karolina says under her breath, quietly urging her on. 

Karolina can hear Nico’s pained grunts, can see the determination on her face. Finally, she’s inches from the Staff and she reaches out for it. Karolina can hear the desperation in her voice as she says, _“Help_ ”, barely grazing the Staff before passing out completely. 

Everything goes quiet. 

Karolina is holding her breath, hoping for something, _anything_ to happen until —

The staff starts to glow and a purple mist surrounds Nico’s body. She is then lifted up into the air and Karolina watches in amazement as Nico’s wounds start to heal; the bleeding has stopped, her wounds have closed up, her broken bones have been re-set, and her left arm has been restored. Then, Karolina watches in breathless anticipation as Nico opens her eyes.

Karolina can hear her friends’ surprised gasps as they see Nico’s eyes glowing a brilliant shade of purple.

* * *

_On another part of the arena, Katy calmly soars through the air with the sentinel and Rebecca, who she is using to burn down the grounds and anyone who might be down there._

_Her mouth is curled up in a victorious smirk, confidence evident in her bearing. That is until a purple mist surrounds her and looking to the side, she sees a floating Nico, who angrily casts a spell, “Blow!”._

* * *

“Holy shit, Nico can fly!” Karolina hears Chase exclaim in surprise as she keeps her gaze on the screen. Oh, she’s surprised too, but more than that, she feels relieved because Nico is _alive_. 

* * *

_Katy is momentarily disoriented before she gets her bearings again. “Funny, I thought I killed you already. No trouble though, we’ll just do it again tod—“ Before Katy can even finish, Nico casts another spell which throws her back down on the ground._

_Katy gets up and immediately uses the sentinel and Rebecca to attack Nico, “Kill her. And make it permanent this time.”_

_But Nico seems stronger now and she casts one spell after another, matching Katy’s attacks effortlessly. When both the sentinel and Rebecca are down, Katy goads Nico into attacking Rebecca, “Kill her. If you do, I’ll be out of toys. Defenseless.”_

_Nico stands firm and doesn’t do anything but glare at Katy._

_Katy continues to mock Nico as she sneers at her, “No? Coward.” Lifting her hand to the side, Katy regains control of the sentinel, using it to blast Nico. Taken by surprise, Nico is unable to defend herself and she falls down hard on the ground, Staff flying out of her hand._

* * *

“Damn. How many times has she been hit by that thing?” Chase says, and with something akin to wonder in his tone he continues, “But she’s really tough to be able to take those shots and still stand though.” At that, he glances briefly at Karolina and she meets his gaze. Chase is smiling softly at her and there’s pride in his eyes. Karolina can understand the feeling. 

Karolina smiles lighty at him, before she turns back to the screen as she sees Katy pick up the Staff, looking like she’s ready to attack Nico again. 

But before she can do anything, Nico gets back on her feet as she casts a spell that knocks Katy back. 

“Wait...” Molly starts in a confused tone, “Since when could Nico cast a spell without the Staff?” At that, Molly turns her inquisitive gaze to Karolina.

She quietly replies, “I don’t know, Molly.” Sighing, Karolina reminds her, “She’s been gone for three years. Maybe she’s been training?”

“Or maybe it has something to do with her new arm?” Alex counters and Karolina’s gaze fly to him in surprise. Pushing his glasses up his nose, Alex continues, “Look at her arm,” he gestures to the screen where they can see Nico glaring at a still down Katy, “there’s that purple mist or something around it. And it was restored with the use of her Staff right? Maybe it’s magical now too.” 

They all go quiet at that before Gert breaks the silence by saying, “That makes sense actually. Guess that makes Nico extremely powerful now, huh?”

* * *

_Katy gets back on her feet, arms raised and ready to attack Nico again._

_Before she can do anything, Nico confidently calls out, “Staff of One. To Me.” And just like that, the Staff flies out of Katy’s hand and goes back to its rightful owner._

_A flicker of fear crosses Katy’s features until it settles into her usual mask of indiferrence. “Well done. That was—“ Katy stutters and stops, before she continues, “You win. Now what?”_

_Nico stares at Katy blankly for a moment before she brings her Staff down hard on the ground, half-burying it as she orders, “Dirtnap!” A big crack appears on the ground and it stretches until it reaches Katy and Rebecca. Once it reaches the two, dirt rises up and engulfs their bodies._

_Finally, their screams could no longer be heard and the dust settles — Katy and Rebecca nowhere to be found._

_Nico buried them alive._

* * *

With the fight between Nico and Katy over, the video shifts back to the beach where Cammi, Cullen, Hazmat and the rest are getting some rest. 

The thick tension that enveloped their group earlier is now gone, and Karolina can feel everyone’s relief after seeing Nico succeed.

But then, Molly quietly asks, “Are they... dead?” 

A different sort of tension falls over them again before Alex breaks the silence, “Wait, didn’t Nico mention someone named Rebecca before?” Karolina and the rest stare blankly at him before he reminds them, “At Timely. She said something like, ‘Rebecca destroyed his base’ or something.” 

“Yes, she did.” Karolina replies as she remembers that day. 

Shrugging, Chase says, “Yeah well, I’d be okay if she survived. She was just being used after all.” Anger now in his tone, he continues, “But that bitch Katy better be gone.” 

“Hey!” Gert calls out indignantly. She scowls at Chase, before her expression softens, “But well, as much as I don’t like that word, she _is_ a bitch.” Quietly, she also agrees with Chase’s sentiment, “And yeah, as bad as it sounds, I hope she’s gone too.”

They all go quiet again after that, but after everything Katy did to Nico; after she quite literally killed her, Karolina is pretty sure that they‘re all happy she’s gone. 

* * *

**_Day 28_ **

_Three days later, Cammi, Cullen, Aiden, and Nara end up back up on the beach after going out to the forest to search for Nico._

_X-23, Reptil, and Hazmat were initially with them, but they got seperated when Reptil, in an effort to get a better look from up the trees flew up — he hasn’t been back down since; and Hazmat suddenly started screaming her dead boyfriend’s name as she wandered into the forest, X-23 following after her. They haven’t been back since then either._

_“Now what?” Aiden asks, looking down at Cammi who sat down on the sand._

_Frustration lacing her tone, Cammi replies, “Trying to think. The compass is useless since we can’t follow the sun. Arcade has kept a good two steps ahead of us all along, but there has to be a way to—“_

_“No!” Cullen argues loudly, “There doesn’t! Enough bloody planning. It’s done!”_

_Cammi and Aiden stare quietly at Cullen as he continues to rant angrily, “Nico is gone! And thanks to our incessant wandering about, so are Reptil, Hazmat, and X-23. We can’t outthink a man who sees our every move and quite frankly, I’m tired of seeing you try!” He finishes, pointing accusingly at Cammi._

_Aiden pushes Cullen back a bit, trying to calm him down, “Ease up mate, she’s just—“_

_Cullen cuts him off, “I know precisely what she’s **just** , thanks.” Stepping closer to Cammi again, Cullen leans down and gets in her face, “Smartest person here has the wool yanked so tight over her eyes that her brain’s gone numb. Day 28 Cammi, time’s up!” _

_Aiden interjects again, “Alright, leave her alone.”_

_Shaking her head, Cammi finally speaks up, “It’s alright, let him have it out.”_

_But instead of ranting at Cammi again, Cullen turns to Aiden with a sneer, “Oh, I’m sorry. Have you managed to dislodge your head from Nara’s blowhole long enough to notice the rest of us?”_

_“There’s the line. Now you can shut your mouth.” Aiden angrily retorts._

_“Make me, mate.” At that, Cullen punches Aiden hard enough to throw him back._

_A fight breaks out between the two before Nara comes back to break it up._

_After that, they separate into pairs; with Nara and Aiden heading to the forest, while Cullen sits down beside Cammi on the sand._

_—————_

_On another part of the arena, Hazmat is yelling desperately for Mettle._

_Finally catching up to her, X-23 asks, “Hazmat, what’s going on?”_

_“Laura, please tell me you see what I see.” Hazmat says desperately, “I understand it’s impossible and that I may be going crazy but just... please tell me you see him.”_

_Looking ahead, X-23 finally notices what caught Hazmat’s attention — a tall man is standing in the distance wit his back to them. Recognizing the figure, X-23 carefully says, “I do. I see Mettle over there, but—“_

_Cutting her off, Hazmat says, “No buts!” She runs forward, arms outstretched as she pleads, “Please be real. Please be real. Please be real.” Once she’s right behind him, Hazmat calls out, “Ken?”_

_The man turns around and before they can react, a familiar voice says in a cruel tone, “Heh, well sure. In a manner of speaking.” Then suddenly, the figure opens its mouth and hits them with some type of smoke._

_Hazmat realizes what it is, fear lacing her tone, “No, no, no! Trigger scent!” Turning to the side, Hazmat tries to warn X-23, “Laura! Please run away! I think I messed up.”_

_The smoke clears and X-23 comes into view; wild-eyed and coiled, ready to attack Hazmat. She was too late in warning her._

_—————_

_Back at the beach, Cammi cuts off Cullen’s story by pointing something out over the horizon, “Hate to interrupt right at the good part, but that looks like something we should worry about. Right?”_

_“Right.” Cullen agrees and they both scramble to their feet as the smoke approaches them._

_“Okay, lets move back—“ Cammi starts but she is cut off by Cullen’s slightly panicked words, “No use. The stuff’s coming out of the trees as well. What do you think it is?”_

_With nowhere else to go, Cullen and Cammi stand still, getting ready for whatever’s coming._

_“If we’re lucky, it’s just deadly poison gas.” Cammi says hopefully._

_“And if we’re unlucky?”_

_Their conversation abruptly comes to an end when Nara and Aiden come running out of the forest, fear in their voice as they desperately yell out, “Run!”_

_X-23 comes running behind them, red-eyed and going wild._

_Nara stumbles and X-23 lunges after her, but Aiden successfully blocks the attack with his axe. X-23 turns to Aiden at that, getting ready to attack but Cammi shoots her from the distance._

_“Keep it up! Stop her.” Cullen encourages._

_With a grimace, Cammi informs him, “Cullen, she’s X-23. I can’t stop her.”_

_X-23 is heading for both Cammi and Cullen now and out of desperation, Cullen takes off his Bloodstone ring, as he determinedly says, “No. But I can.” At that, turns into a ten-ton indestructible beast._

* * *

“Whoa, what the fuck!” Chase yells and Karolina notes the hint of both awe and bewilderment in tone, “What... what is that?”

“Some kind of beast. That ring he took off must have been keeping it at bay inside of him.” Alex guesses. 

The two continue to trade theories in low, hushed tones, and Karolina doesn’t pay them any mind as she keeps her gaze focused on the screen. She watches as whatever Cullen turned into relentlessly attacks X-23, while the others are desperately looking for Cullen’s ring in the sand. 

Hope blooms in Karolina’s chest as Cammi triumphantly announces that she’s found the ring and they can now turn Cullen back. But then, Reptil falls from the sky, landing right on Cammi; causing her to accidentally let go of the ring. The ring bounces away from them and lands somewhere in the ocean as Cammi desperately yells out, “No!”

“Shit, that’s bad. What are they gonna do?” Molly asks worriedly.

“Language please.” Gett chastises Molly, but Karolina notices how half-hearted it is. 

All of their eyes are glued on the screen now as they watch Nara diving into the ocean to retrieve the ring, while the rest fight off Cullen’s monster form. 

Suddenly, a bright purple blast hits the beast and Nico appears; flying through the air, casting one spell after another. 

Her friends start to cheer, but Karolina stays silent as fear grips her throat. Selfishly, she wanted Nico to stay away, to stay _safe_. 

Fresh terror rears up within Karolina as she watches how all of their combined attacks are not affecting Cullen’s beast form at all.

* * *

_Nico and the rest continue to attack Cullen’s beast form, but all their combined attacks are not doing anything at all._

_“He’s getting bigger and stronger by the minute. We have to end this before he gets bored of toying with us.” Aiden tells the group as they all stay on the ground, looking up at Cullen’s beast form formulating their next plan._

_“Any thoughts on how? Cammi asks, desperation clear in her tone._

_“The book said Glartrox can’t survive our dimension without its host. If we kill the host...” Aiden trails off, as he looks down sadly._

_“But I thought Cullen was the host?”_

_Looking back up, Aiden confirms, “He is.”_

_Cammi’s eyes widen in disbelief as she disagrees, “What? No way! Nara’s gonna find that ring and fix him Aiden. We just have to buy her more time.”_

_“There isn’t anymore time! If we let this go on, he’ll slaughtler all of us. This is the only way to—“_

_Cammi cuts him off angrily, “Cullen let that thing out to save your life!”_

_Aiden gultily hangs his head down, “I know that. He’s saved my life and now he’s gone. I’m doing this for him. Cullen’s the one who told me how to end it if that thing ever got out of control. He made me promise, Cammi. I promised I’d put him out of his misery.”_

_Sighing, Cammi looks around to Nico and Reptil and they all share sad looks before Cammi finally says, “All right guys, let’s distract this thing.” And with that, all three attack Cullen head on as Aiden prepares to attack._

_Aiden jumps on Cullen’s beast form but just as he’s about to bring down his axe, Nara finally resurfaces, stopping him just in time, “Aiden! Stop! Don’t do that! I got it.”_

_And with that, Nara steps close to the beast and allows herself to be captured in its tight grip, “Tell me what to do with this ring!”_

_Aiden is watching from the ground, tears streaming down his face as he watches Nara get crushed slowly. “Just touch the ring to his skin.”_

_And with that, Nara touches the skin to Cullen’s beast form and he turns back to his human form. Both Nara and Cullen fall hard on the ground — but only one of them is breathing._

_Cammi helps Cullen up and explains how Nara successfully saved him._

_“Brilliant. Now I owe the fish a fav—“ Before Cullen can finish, a guttural scream can be heard as Aiden mourns the loss of Nara._

_—————_

_Night has fallen but none of them are able to sleep; Aiden’s pained cries can be heard by everyone on the beach as they stay away, giving him some space to mourn his loss._

_Somewhere inside the forest, Hazmat is stumbling around until she happens upon X-23 who is finally waking up, finally recovering from her injuries after her fight with Cullen’s beast form._

_Unfortunately, it seems like the trigger scent still hasn’t worn off and X-23 starts to attack Hazmat relentlessly._

* * *

**_Day 29_ **

_As the dawn breaks, Aiden finally wipes away his tears and he settles Nara gently down on the ground. Finally, he gets up and walks to the corner where he picks up his axe._

_The rest of the group all watch him silently, but they all stumble back up as he runs towards them and attacks Cullen, growling out, “Die!”_

_Cammi points her gun at Aiden, ordering him to stop. Meanwhile, Nico stands back watching everything unfold even when Reptil is convincing her that they should help stop Aiden’s attacks._

_Their gazes cut back to the fight as they see Aiden get blasted back after Cammi shoots him._

_“Good call, I guess. Cammi had it covered.”_

_With his back turned on Nico, Reptil doesn’t see her casting a spell that blasted him away._

* * *

“Whoa! Why’d Nico do that?” Molly asks in surprise. 

“She must have something planned.” Alex says in reply without taking his eyes off of the screen. 

Karolina is just as surprised as Molly, not really sure why Nico did what she just did. However, the reason becomes evident a few minutes later as Nico flies towards Cullen. 

Karolina watches in muted horror as Nico flies over the ocean, trying to drown him.

* * *

_Grunting, Nico yells out to Cullen, “Gah! I thought drowning is supposed to be a peaceful way to go.”_

_Sputtering out some water, Cullen chuckles mirthlessly as he responds, “If that was meant to be peaceful, you’ve bloody failed!”_

_“Sorry, you’re a lot tougher than you look.” Nico says apologetically._

_“Tougher to kill? That’s what this is?”_

_Still holding on to Cullen, Nico admits, “Yeah. Tougher to kill.”_

_Cullen smirks at Nico, “Catch-22 eh? With the ring, I’m hard to kill. Without it, I’m an unstoppable soul-thirsty terror the size of a city bus.”_

_Nico looks down at Cullen silently before she sighs and apologizes again, “Yeah well... I really am sorry.” With that, Nico tosses Cullen down hard on the beach._

_—————_

_On a separate island, Cammi watches as Nico tosses Cullen hard on the ground. With a determined look on her face, Cammi flies over to them._

—————

_Cullen is down on the ground with Nico hovering over him._

_Eyes glowing, Nico says regretfully as she looks down at Cullen, “I know this isn’t right. It’s not what I want or what you deserve. But this place has never been fair and its time to take care of myself. I’ll try to make it quick.”_

_Chuckling lightly, Cullen grins up at Nico, not fighting back in the slightest, “Heh. Thanks.” Breathing deeply, Cullen looks up at Nico intently as he continues, “Go on then. Get it done.”_

_Nico’s eyes glow even brighter as she lifts her left hand up, ready to cast the finishing blow._

_But just as she’s about to attack, Cammi barrels into her and tackles her to the ground, “What the fuck Nico!”_

_Cammi stands over Nico who is still down on the ground after her unexpected attack. “Don’t tell me you let this place turn you cold. Not you! You’re way better than that. You’re so good you’ve rubbed off and made me better than that!”_

_Grunting, Nico gets back up as she angrily shouts back, “What choice do I have? Check your watch Cammi, this thing ends tomorrow!” Pointing to Cullen, Nico continues, “You’ve seen what that thing inside Cullen is capable of. If it comes down to a fight, we’re all—“_

_Cammi cuts her off, arguing heatedly, “Yeah Nico, this is Murderworld. It’s day 29 of 30 and we’re all gonna die tomorrow. What else is new?” Nico stays quiet and Cammi continues, her tone going soft, “I get where you’re coming from. Self-preservation is what I do. But I’m telling you right now, murder is one thing I don’t want to survive.”_

_Nico hangs her head guiltily, “I already have.”_

_“What?”_

_“Katy and Rebecca. I buried them alive. Katy cut off my arm, kicked me off the cliff and left me to die alone in the snow. Maybe she deserved it. But Rebecca?” Turning away from Cammi, Nico guiltily continues, “She was a puppet. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t deserve what I did to her.”_

—————

_On another part of the arena, X-23 continues to attack Hazmat relentlessly, trigger scent still not wearing off._

_However, Aiden and Reptil have joined the fray as well; with Aiden attacking X-23 and blaming her for starting all the fighting, while Reptil is trying to defend both X-23 and Hazmat simultaneously._

_Hazmat isn’t fighting back; instead, she stumbles around, a haze of green smoke coming off of her. “Guys, please stop. I’m scared. Something’s really wrong.” Her desperate plea goes unheard as her friends continue to fight._

_Looking for help, Hazmat continues to stumble out of the forest and once she’s out in the open, she falls on her knees and screams._

—————

_Hazmat’s pained scream catches everyone’s attention. All fighting comes to a complete stop as they see the ominous haze of green smoke coming off of Hazmat._

_“Oh god, Hazmat!” Reptil calls out as he starts running towards her, “Just hold on Jen! I’m coming!”_

_And with that, Reptil (who is still in one of his dinosaur forms), runs to Hazmat, takes her into his mouth, and runs off into the ocean with her._

_The rest watch on in both shock and worry, not really sure what’s happening; that is until a huge explosion goes off in the distance and a look of understanding crosses their features._

_But before they can even mourn their newest loss, the arena suddenly goes crazy — sand monsters start to form; an insect swarm flies towards them; and even the ocean seems to be attacking them. And so, with the arena itself coming up against them, they all decide to fight together to survive._

—————

_Hours later, just when they think they are about to lose, everything just stops._

_They all collapse on their knees, completely exhausted and in pain. They all catch their breaths, but continue to keep their guards up._

_But then suddenly, Rebecca materializes in front of them, calmly saying, “You can stop now. Its over.”_

_That night, Rebecca explains everything that happened — about how they weren’t buried alive by Nico’s spell, but were instead taken to Arcade’s underground base; about Arcade escaping when they confronted him; about Katy taking control, choosing to play gamemaker after Arcade left; about breaking free from Katy’s control and overpowering her; about Tim gaining control of their shared body and begging Rebecca to kill him — to kill them both; and finally, of Rebecca listening to Tim’s pleas and shooting him right in the head, a decision that saved all of them._

_They all sit and listen quietly to Rebecca’s story and when she’s done, they all look blankly over the horizon, all deep in their own thoughts._

* * *

**_Day 30_ **

_Finally, the dawn breaks and Nico breaks the silence by gently asking, “So, who else is left aside from us?”_

_A moment of silence passes between them before Aiden quietly says, “X-23 is out in the woods.”_

_“And Cullen’s over on the other island.” Nico breathes out shakily as she continues, “Pretty banged up, but he should be okay.”_

_“Not to be the jerk here guys,” Cammi interjects suddenly, “but, there’s something we need to talk about before people start showing up.” When no one says anything, Cammi continues, “We need to get our story straight. Decide what we want to tell, what we don’t.”_

_Confused, Aiden asks, “What do you mean?”_

_“I mean, how’s this all going to look? You know, to other people.” Cammi clarifies._

_“Like Arcade pulled some twisted fucking game? Nobody is going to blame us!”_

_Softly, Nico counters Aiden’s outburst, “We don’t know that.”_

_Still not convinced, Aiden continues to argue, “So, we’re meant to lie about what happened? What we’ve done and what was done to us? We can’t hide that!”_

_Sighing Cammi explains, “Look, you were partly right; some people won’t blame us for what happened. They probably won’t put us in handcuffs or try us for some crime. But they’ll turn us into a **story**.” Cammi grimaces and they all frown at that as well. _

_Finally understanding, Aiden lowers his head as he defeatedly asks, “So, how do you propose we avoid that?”_

_“We don’t say a word,” says a familiar voice and their gazes all snap to the water as they see Hazmat coming back on the shore, “We make a pact.”_

_“Hazmat?!” Cammi blurts out incredulously, “How the hell did you survive that? And why aren’t you glowing?”_

_Ignoring Cammi’s questions, Hazmat presses on, “A pact that we won’t let Arcade win. A promise that we won’t talk about this hellhole or anything that happened here. Ever.”_

—————

_A few hours later, several superheroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrive, finally saving them from their living nightmare._

* * *

As soon as the video ends, Karolina gets up and heads straight for the door. 

“Karolina? What’s going on? Where are you going?” Karolina hears Molly’s worried questions behind her. 

Karolina pauses after opening the door slightly and without looking back, she answers Molly’s question simply, “The Hostel.” 

With that, Karolina steps out and closes the door behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: in the comics, nico really powered up after being taken by her great-grandmother, the witchbreaker. since then, she's been able to fly, cast teleportation spells, and magically levitate objects. plus, her time in murderworld and everything that's happened to her there, has powered her up even more
> 
> ps. happy holidays everyone! hope ya'll are staying safe and healthy ~


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